Dear Editor,
There seems to be a big concern that the Granger administration is militarizing the government. Well, I am not the least bit concerned about that. This is because I have been observing what is happening on the world stage. Military dictators are being ousted left, right and centre. It stands to reason therefore that if indeed the Guyana government is to become militarized it is not for any sinister reasons, except they are living in some bubble. We all know that the ABC countries were instrumental in removing the PPP government in 2015, much the same as the ABC countries were responsible for removing the PNC in 1992.
What happened to the PPP in 2015 must not be lost on this new administration. The international community does not like political leaders, they like oil and (to some extent) democracy; in that descending order. So if the fear is that Guyana will become a military dictatorship, the fear is unfounded, misguided and speculative. The superpowers have no appetite for military dictators in the third world; that era has long passed. Additionally, agitated youths, fuelled by technology, will never sit by and allow the rise of dictatorships and wanton oppression. Just look at the havoc the #blacklivesmatter is having in the USA, in retaliation for injustice.
However, there is a story surrounding the Guyana government’s possible militarization, and one of the dailies editorialized on the notion. There is talk on the street that this government does not plan to leave office and so they are strengthening themselves militarily to quell any attempt to oust them and so secure their longevity. Saying that this government is up to no good with its militarizing strategy, is enough to drive morbid fear in the heart of any democratic-loving individual, especially the independent voters and the PPP supporters. In light of this fact, I am wondering if the highlighting of this perceived militarization of the government is not a political ploy vested in fearmongering.
The Guyana government cannot militarize themselves more than Saddam Hussein did. Neither can they
militarize themselves more than Gaddafi did. The ABC countries took out both of them. It would be foolhardy for the Granger administration to believe that the folks who put them in power don’t have whatever it takes to take them out.
But there is indeed an increased number of aged, military, personnel who make up the current administration and have other key positions. The reason for this is simple. In a political age where trust is very scarce, the current administration is going with whom they know. They are also going with those who are loyal to them. So what is happening is that old military men and women are hiring their trusted friends, who happen to be old military men and women.
The youths must also understand that many of these older folks who are now being handed elevated positions, were in the struggle for a long time. This is reward time. And since most of the military personnel are African, most of the people being hired are African. When the PPP was in power, they practised something akin to this; most of the cabinet, ambassadors and highly placed officials in top positions were Indians. There was a time when all the Guyana ambassadors were only Indians. Political logic dictates that you go with whomever you are comfortable.
I can almost assure you that if the PPP gets back into power, all of those military, African people will be replaced with Indians, many of whom will not be military. So my concern is not the militarization of the government. I am more concerned with the reality that young people are being made to feel a sense of hopelessness as they watch who is often being placed in what positions. I think, however, that as the next election nears, the Granger administration, in an effort to win back young supporters, will either create executive positions for young people, or they will remove many of these older folks and replace them with youths.
So for those who are afraid that Granger will be the next Burnham and use the military to help rig elections so as to remain in power for another 27 years, you can relax and breathe; it will not happen. Guyana might have a system where we elect dictators, but the days of rigging with the help of the military are long gone. The same people who took out the PNC and the PPP stand ready and able to take out the APNU+AFC if they tread the same path. Whomever the ABC countries will keep in power, or whomever they will put in power, depends on who the citizens of Guyana want to be in power. The choice is ours. Suffice it to say that what is happening by the hiring of a predominance of military personnel is simply a mixture of rewarding those who were long in the struggle and the administrators playing it safe.
Yours faithfully,
Pastor Wendell Jeffrey
