People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Clement Rohee yesterday said “military influence is determining key policy issues in the country” with President David Granger and other government officials being ex-soldiers.
According to Rohee, the president’s “right-hand man, (Minister of State) Joseph Harmon and a plethora within the Ministry of the Presidency are ex-soldiers.”
Rohee told a press conference at party headquarters that the perception of the public is that the military has taken on a major role in the APNU+AFC government while the previous government was seen as a civilian government with just a sprinkling of ex-soldiers who were not on policy-making bodies.
Rohee said that in Guyana there is no such position that a military person must be in the government but he also agreed that there is nothing in the constitution precluding the government from employing a soldier.
He asked that if there is a vacancy, “how do you decide if a civilian is more qualified or an ex-soldier is more qualified, especially in government, which is elected by the people for the people?”
He said, “Our country is moving inexorably from a civilian to a military command-type administration permeating all levels of government. Our fledgling democracy is under threat and Guyanese civil, political and cultural rights are being undermined and trampled upon through the façade of social cohesion…”
According to Rohee, “In this situation, the PNC – the largest partner in the APNU confabulation will once again command the gun and the gun will eventually command the Party in respect to the direction the country will take and the nature of the democracy the people will have to endure and suffer.”
He said that “Cabinet, the National Security Council and Defence Board decisions have already been transformed into operational plans, characterized by a highly centralized command-type structure of governance.”
Rohee said “the AFC, which has evolved into an appendage of the PNC as a result of their jaded and inexperienced ministers of government will have no choice but to rely on the advice of the military command-style Granger-led cabal… in shaping and limiting the policy making process…”
He added that the “Ministry of the Presi-dency where the military dominates is much more comfortable with the security portfolio under their wing.”
