While reiterating his party’s call for a national approach to defence and security, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton is requesting an update on the probe into the helicopter crash which claimed five members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) last year.
At a press conference on Thursday, the Peoples’ National Congress Reform [PNC/R] leader noted that it has been over two months since the crash of the Bell 412 Army helicopter and there has been no update from the government as it relates to the status of these investigations.
“It has been over two months since the crash of the Guyana Defence Force helicopter which tragically took the lives of five Guyanese heroes. On behalf of all Guyanese, we call on the government for an update on the investigation of this incident,” Norton told reporters on Thursday.
The servicemen who perished were: Brigadier (retired) Gary Beaton, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan. The two survivors were Lieutenant Andio Crawford and Corporal Dwayne Jackson.
Stabroek News last week spoke with Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, whose Ministry has purview over aviation, concerning an update on the helicopter crash and was brusquely informed that the investigations are still ongoing.
“I will say this again, once these investigations are completed a report has to be submitted to me and once that is done, the media will be informed of what caused the crash, as it stands now these investigations are still ongoing.”
Last year, Edghill had told this newspaper that Airworthiness Inspector Krishnanand Ramlachana was appointed investigator into the helicopter crash which claimed the lives of five military personnel and injured two others on December 6, 2023.
The Minister had said that the black box containing flight data has already been retrieved and will be taken overseas to complement investigations which have already begun.
A flight recorder commonly known as a “black box” is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft that facilitates the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Egbert Field, also told this newspaper that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Unit, which is an independent branch of the GCAA, is tasked with carrying out these investigations into the crash.
He noted that while the probe unit consists of experts from the local aviation authority, it will be assisted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent US government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation.
“We will get assistance from the NTSB, and when I say we, I mean the Accident Investigation Unit, which is answerable to the Minister of Public Works. The body is an independent annex of us [GCAA].”
National Approach for Defense and Security
Norton also alluded to what his party considered as the government’s lacklustre approach as it relates to defence and security.
He recalled that at the Annual Officers Conference at GDF Base Camp Ayanganna in Thomas Lands, Georgetown, President Irfaan Ali announced plans to reorganise and reorient the Guyana Defence Force through a robust National Defence Strategy.
The Commander-in-Chief on February 8 of this year, indeed stressed the importance of boosting the GDF’s capabilities and presenting a more refined structure, in light of increased threats by neighbouring Venezuela last year.
Out of the historic $1.146 trillion budget, $42 billion was be allocated the GDF for the procurement of military hardware. However there will also be greater emphasis on technological enhancements and human resource development, President Ali promised.
“Synergy is not only investing in assets but investing in assets and technology that offers a synergy with our partners and our allies so that we have seamless integration when needed,” Ali remarked in his address at the opening of the GDF’s Annual Officers Conference at Base Camp Ayanganna.
He contended that the focus is necessary to ensure there is military efficiency and reliability, even as the technology upgrades and higher learning of army personnel allow this country to work closely with its defence partners whenever necessary.
“I want this conference to understand that as we move now to this agenda described in a nutshell by the Chief of Staff that deals with the issue of national defence strategy, there will be, based on our assessment, some reorientation, reorganising of the way we do our work and perform our tasks and of course, we’ll have to re-engage at a different level. With the type of assets that we’re investing in, there will be structural changes. To whom much is given, much is expected,” he said.
Ali pointed out that when he took office and spoke at his first officers conference, he had committed to the transformation of the Guyana Defence Force, where the “government would lead the transformation through investment, technology, training and development, fostering a cultural shift in the way the way the Guyana Defence Force is viewed, retooling and up skilling.”
Training of army personnel has been a key part of that transformation where last year alone, more than 151 officers benefitted from overseas training and some 1,500 have benefited from training locally “These are important numbers because it tells a story that we are committed to the targets, and to the promises we make,” Ali stressed.
Against this backdrop, Norton expressed the Opposition’s concern that it has not received any briefing or any other communication from the government regarding any developments as it relates to the Guyana and Venezuela border controversy.
While things appear to have “simmered down” following the Argyle Joint Declaration between the two countries, Norton renewed calls for the government to treat the country’s defence and security not as a partisan in-house matter, but as a matter where the energies of the entire country must be mobilised and united.
“It is an abject failure of government when Guyanese have to listen to or read international media reports to be informed of Venezuelan military buildups on our border.
“The government must understand that its duty to the people of Guyana demands that it reports promptly and completely on any such threat to our territorial integrity,” Norton asserted.
