-President says more investment coming for defence of country
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) yesterday commissioned a hangar at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (EFCIA), Ogle with President Irfaan Ali sending a message to Venezuela that while this country will never support war or aggression, it will invest in its military architecture to tackle threats.
“Even as we repose our confidence in the rule of international law and in the persuasiveness of diplomacy, we are not blind to the realities of the world we live in. A strong nation must have the means to deter and to identify threats. That is why we are investing in our Defence Force, not for war, not for aggression, but for protection, for development, and for national security,” the President told attendees at the commissioning of the GDF’s hangar at EFCIA.
“Today, we mark a critical step forward in that mission with the opening of this hangar… this facility is not just a building, it is a statement. It says that Guyana is prepared, that our defence force is evolving, and that our skies will be watched and protected and it will be sure to serve our people. Our eyes will be sharper. Our reach will be longer. Our response will be swifter,” he added.
The Commander-in-Chief of Guyana’s armed forces said that the hangar’s opening was only one part of a holistic plan to strengthen the army’s air force.
“The Guyana Defence Force’s Air Corps will be strengthened. Our fleet will be better maintained, better equipped, and better resourced. We will ensure that our pilots and airmen have the tools they need to patrol our borders, respond to threats, and support national development. We will fly higher, stronger, and with purpose. This is why this hangar, centrally located is so important to our plans to strengthen the GDF’s Air Corps”, he said.
He added, “Some may ask, why invest in our military? To them I say this: security is not an expense, it is an investment. A nation that cannot defend itself is a nation that cannot develop itself. A safe Guyana is a prosperous Guyana. A secure Guyana is a stable Guyana. Every dollar spent on strengthening our defence force is a dollar spent in safeguarding our economic potential, ensuring that investors have confidence in our stability, and protecting the very foundation upon which development is built.”
Ali surmised that without security, businesses cannot thrive, communities cannot flourish, and progress cannot be sustained. However, he was quick to make it known that this country is a peaceful one and does not support war. It is why the investments into Guyana’s military architecture, he said, should not be seen as preparation for any wars.
“That is why our investment in defence is not about preparing for war, it is about guaranteeing peace, deterring aggression, and creating an environment where every citizen can work and live without fear. We are not arming ourselves for aggression. We are arming ourselves for protection. We are not building a defence force for war. We are building a defence force for resilience. We are not preparing for conflict. We are preparing for any eventuality,” he emphasised.
“Our military must be ready—not just to defend our borders, but to assist in times of disaster, to respond to emergencies, and to contribute to national development. Whether it is delivering aid in times of flooding, assisting communities in times of crisis, or safeguarding our natural resources, the Guyana Defence Force will stand as a strong and solid rock that secure our country and our people. And let me say this to our servicemen and women: we will stand with you, as you stand with us. You have our gratitude, our respect, and our full support,” the President declared.
Critics say that two recent incidents of aggression from Venezuela have raised questions about exactly what the PPP/C government has done to strengthen the armed forces and to cater to their needs. On February 17th – the 59th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement on the border controversy between the two countries – suspected sindicatos shot at GDF soldiers from the Venezuelan side wounding six of them. The GDF was unable to fly them out immediately for urgent medical care and they had to be transported by boat in the dead of night by a village toshao to a poorly equipped medical facility for basic treatment.
On March 1st a Venezuelan warship sailed all the way off of the Demerara coast and harassed oil production assets. It did so without any interception at sea or surveillance by air. Questions have also been raised about the lack of radar to enable detection. The PPP/C government has essentially had more than four and a half years to beef up defences but critics say that the evidence of this is lacking.
Demonstrative
Ali noted that the investment in the hangar is demonstrative of his government’s firm commitment to the modernisation and transformation of this country’s security architecture and infrastructure. Also, he said that it shows his commitment to investing in “the necessary tools, in the necessary equipment that will enhance our capability and capacity to not only protect our country, but also to ensure that we positively contribute to national development.”
GDF’s air corps expansion, the President noted, is a project interlinked with the national development strategy to also support humanitarian efforts and search and rescue.
“Very quietly, without much fanfare, the Guyana Defence Force executes every single year, maybe hundreds of humanitarian flights from saving lives, to addressing emergencies or participating in some sort of search and rescue, whilst at the same time, they also support other law enforcement agencies in various initiatives and efforts to ensure our national security is not compromised in any way. So, it was necessary that this facility be built because the divestment and diversification of our economy is also integrated with the expansion of the defence force”, he said.
That the hangar is at the Ogle location, Ali explained, was because of integration of other security and construction architecture that will support it, as everyone is aware that the skyline of Georgetown is changing and “as a result of those changes in the skyline of our city, we will have to build the necessary capacity that will allow us to respond effectively to threats of fire and other emergencies.”
According to Ali, since taking office, the government has invested more than $10 billion in new acquisitions and maintenance and rehabilitation of existing assets.
“As you’re aware, our EEZ [Exclusive Economic Zone] is a large space; monitoring our borders requires us to adopt a nimble strategy, and part of that nimble strategy is technology that allows us to see and monitor our borders and our EEZ, and that is what we’re investing in – technology, that I would not go into details with today or explore in detail, because this is our security architecture, but technology that allows us to be confident in our capability and capacity,” he added.
