Khemraj Ramjattan is allowing Granger to influence his behavior

Jun 23, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Since the Linden uprising, Guyana’s minority opposition party, the Alliance For Change – AFC has been aggressively opposing government’s policies and programmes, taking the fight to the Ramotar Administration while the more senior Parliamentary opposition, PNC/APNU, seems to be docile. But don’t be fooled by this seemingly passive approach taken by David Granger… It bears the hallmark of a very effective military strategy known as Psychological Operations -PSYOP. Although some within his own party seriously question Granger’s political astuteness, it begs the question: Is PSYOP being used to destabilize the democratically elected Government of Guyana?
Since his ascension to the leadership of PNC/APNU, Granger has surrounded himself with former military men, some of whom received specialized training in PSYOP: A means of intentionally deceiving targeted individuals and the population through a variety of sophisticated methods to accomplish specified objectives. In the case of PNC/APNU, the objective would be to disrupt the economy through budget cuts and protests, and ultimately force the President to include them in a government of national unity.
People perceive things that make sense within the context of their beliefs, values, attitudes, and experiences. Our perceptions are highly selective and subjective; we see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear. Further, if we do not like what we perceive, we often distort or modify it. Behavioral change is at the root of any PSYOP mission.
A person’s behavior is motivated by needs, wants, motives, and self-concepts. All of these influence one’s acceptance of an idea. People have a need when they lack something useful, required or desired. When a few needs are fairly well satisfied, others emerge. Because needs are insatiable, incapable of ever being fully satisfied, PSYOP planners do not have to satisfy one need before progressing on to other needs. Hence the old saying, “The more you get is the more you want.” Although evidence of the use of PSYOP is difficult to prove, it can be deducted by the strategy employed in a variety of attacks and demonstrations against the PPP/C Administration that would normally be considered non-issues:
1. After the PPP/C victory at the polls in the last general election, APNU tried to force the administration to include them and the AFC in a government of national unity… something they would not have even considered had they been victorious.
2. The Increase in salary for public servants and benefits for old-age pensioners may be inadequate but fair when one considers the state of the economy; the ongoing national development projects; and the many social programmes being funded by government, including healthcare and education.
3. The One Laptop Per Family Programme; a novel idea to educate our youth with modern technology was demonized by the opposition.
4. Making land available to all Guyanese, especially those single parents and low-income families, to build a home of their own.
5. Providing subsidy to Guyana Power & Light in order to avoid an increase in electricity rates to consumers.
6. The building of the Amalia Falls Hydro Electric Project that is expected to  alleviate our electricity woes, and
7. The building of the Marriott Hotel and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion to boost air travel and accommodation, making Guyana more marketable for tourism.
All of the above projects have been viciously attacked by the APNU-led opposition. A close advisor to David Granger, former Brigadier General of the Guyana Defence Force, Edward Collins received extensive training in the use of PHYOP, and former GDF officers Malcolm Harripaul and Mark Archer seemed to have taken over Granger’s public relations campaign, distorting the Administration’s achievements in the local press and social networks. The controversial former Police Commissioner Winston Felix is also a trusted Granger advisor and APNU Parliamentarian.
Creating dissent amoung our people that led to protest and anarchy in Linden is a perfect example of PHYOP in action. Granger must have known, like the rest of Guyana, that removing the electricity subsidy from the town of Linden was long overdue and unattainable given the budget cuts he spearheaded. Yet, instead of convincing its supporters to pay their fair share of the electricity they’re using like the rest of the country, APNU was able to convince Lindeners that the government, who had generously subsidized their abusive use of electricity for years, were the bad guys, and not the Joint Opposition who took away the subsidy by butchering the 2012 National Budget. The same strategy is now being repeated against Guyana Power & Light that seeks to implement a rate increase after the government assistance programme was cut by the Joint Opposition in the 2013 Budget.
Another example of the use of PSYOP is the reckless and irresponsible blockage of four pieces of proposed legislative amendments by the opposition, that were designed to reform the Guyana Police Force, an institution that everyone agrees needs a major overhaul. Any responsible law-maker would have voted for passage of these amendments, but the opposition was able to justify the risk to our national security and avoid national condemnation by blaming the sponsor of the bill, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee for lack of passage. APNU is intentionally deceiving the Guyanese people through a variety of sophisticated methods aimed at discrediting the government, making it difficult for them to remain in office without compromising on much of their demands.
I am convinced that the AFC is also a victim of APNU’s PSYOP strategy. Why else would Khemraj Ramjattan betray the people who voted for AFC based on his pronouncement that the AFC will never join with APNU? Why else would they join with APNU to impede our nation’s progress by voting down every piece of legislation the government proposed? Why else would he risk denying progress to his constituency by being the pit bull of the opposition attacks against the very administration he depends on to bring development to his constituency? By taking actions favorable to APNU, Khemraj Ramjattan is allowing Granger to influence his behavior. The objective of Psychological Operations. He is being used much to the disgust of those who voted for “change.”
Harry Gill

 

 

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