That army announcement and our tax dollars

Jan 28, 2018 News

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By Leonard Gildarie
I have travelled and lived for awhile out of Guyana. I have watched and yearned for when our country can dare to reach the heights of a few of these states.
Take Trinidad and Tobago for instance. The Twin-Island Republic, as it is known, is a marvel in terms of development. An economist will argue that they over-extended themselves. But they have done well using the resources available. From overpasses and other impressive infrastructure to entertainment, the promotion of the arts, food and human resources, the quality of life of Trinis is arguably on par with that in North America and Europe.
Yes, one can argue that Trinidad has a 100-year jumpstart on Guyana in terms of oil. It is one of the leading economies in the region, despite its troubles now with foreign currency shortages, high crime and a dwindling oil reserve. But it has used its resources well to leapfrog ahead of its other sister CARICOM countries.
The careful exploitation of our resources and how we handle the proceeds in the coming years will test our mettle.
I have spoken of this before and I am seeing some changes, but more needs to be done.
The people that hold our purse strings in government offices – the accounting officers – have to know that a zero tolerance stance is being pursued when it comes to ensuring procedures are followed.
A major blame for why we are not getting value for our money is because systems are being bent or broken and corruption is involved.
Think of it. If the engineers supervising a job sign off on it and payment is passed and the road crumbles after a month, whose fault is it? We can blame the contractor. But we do need to really dig into the pockets of those engineers and make it hurt where it matters most to them.
‘MONEY PASS’
Dem boys would say that ‘money pass’.
Year after year, our accounting officers, including our Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers, appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to explain lapses, and it appears we are merely going through the motions.
I believe that the PAC has to be given more powers of sanctioning, as the protection of our tax dollars fall squarely in the laps of these accounting officers. Suspend a few of them and perhaps the status quo will change in a hurry. Charge a few big ones and it will be different.
It therefore was with much elation that we learnt this past week of plans to restructure the army.
The issues with Venezuela and our border, and Suriname a few years ago over the CGX oil rig ejection, are but stark reminders of the need to keep a close eye on what belongs to us.
Like the Guyana Sugar Corporation, we have been pumping billions of dollars into the army annually to keep it afloat.
There are tales being told of army and even police ranks gladly taking up posts on the borders, willing to give up their families and the life on the coastland for the remote areas. The reasons, from conversations with a few, have little to do with love of country or the beauty of our hinterland and border areas. Rather, there is an informal trade that has sprung up in recent years. There is money to be made from smuggling and other activities.
Talk to a few who have been posted and they will smile with their eyes lighting up.
We have even heard of rackets being run with the purchases of food supplies, the contracting out of vehicles to be repaired and maintained, and a host of other money-making schemes.
I have close relatives who were in the army and police. My dad was killed as a young policeman.
For a long time, I have felt that the army has not been positioned to really earn its keep.
Let’s keep it real. We are not in a zone of war and turmoil. Therefore, the army’s mandate has to be more of keeping the peace and ensuring order. It appears that the Commander-in-Chief of the army, President David Granger, is in clear recognition of this.
During an address last week at the army’s headquarters in Thomas Lands, the President made it clear that the current situation within the army and its mandate cannot remain as is. We must show evidence of what our money is purchasing.
Mr. Granger signaled a move to significantly improve levels of efficiency in the execution of the army’s mandate and to ensure maximum development within the Force.
Two major areas that the Government is looking to do so are the Engineering Corps – which can play a greater role in our public infrastructure – and the Agriculture Corps, which will focus on food production for the force and victims of natural disasters.
With the mandate more one of defence, the intention will have to be to strengthen the force as a well-organised, well-commanded, well-trained and well-equipped body with the core capabilities to keep the Guyanese citizenry safe and secure.
Mr. Granger noted, however, that in order for it to fulfill its mission, the army must be flexible and fully-integrated.
SELF SUFFICIENCY
The Agriculture Corps will embark on agro-processing in order to produce foods, which can be preserved and packaged as compact rations for soldiers on long-range patrols and field operations, and as emergency supplies to citizens affected by natural disasters such as floods.
This part I loved: a self-sufficient army.
At Garden of Eden, there is a poultry farm. We had visited there. It has been a while now, but an army that grows its own food with surplus that can target the local market is not a bad idea.
The president is also eyeing the upgrade of the Air Corps and Coast Guard to allow for continuous surveillance over our airspace, maritime space and land-space, and to support search-and-rescue services to persons in distress.
With regard to the Engineer Corps, the president intends to have this restructured and re-equipped to enable it to reengage in the development of public infrastructure and assist in disaster relief efforts in other countries affected by natural disasters.
“The Corps will expand the Force’s capability to generate electrical energy from renewable sources in all military bases and camps,” he said.
The president also believes that the Militia is an essential arm of the regional system. Each regional capital town will have its own unit, eventually, to enable them to respond more promptly to render assistance to residents in the event of emergencies.
“The Force is the premier agency charged with responsibility to protect our homeland against the new security threats such as environmental degradation, flooding and drought. The Force is being readied to support the Government’s law-enforcement efforts to combat trafficking in illegal weapons and narcotics and transnational terrorism. The Force will support, also, green initiatives aimed at reducing its carbon footprint,” he said.
With vast areas of rough terrain to cover, the army’s work will not be simple, he acknowledged.
According to Mr. Granger, the force’s technical corps must be strengthened to allow it to contribute effectively to national development and to execute its mandate of protecting the territory and preventing transnational crime.
The message to the army and to GuySuCo about the allocations of resources cannot be taken in isolation. We need to use our resources for the greater benefit of the entire country. Not one or two entities. We have to look to nations like Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica and see how they have done it. There are lessons to be learnt as we move to oil.

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