Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 28, 2015 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
The military (GDF) and police (GPF) of this country have been under serious attack over the last few weeks leading up to the general elections on May 11. Are those in power saying that if one serves in our military or police and then moves on to other avenues of intellectual development, challenging job opportunities or creative entrepreneurship ( like Mr. Granger or Mr. Joe Singh) ,then that person is still captive to a military mind-set?
As if a military career is against the grain of quality service, unwavering dedication or a commitment to the positive aspects of democratic traditions.
Editor, let me tell the public a story – a true story – about my friend for years now who I met in Brooklyn, NY in the 1990s.
Mr. Edmon Braithwaite served in the GDF and after serving honourably, left Guyana and moved to Brooklyn where he worked in management operations at Staples, a well known business throughout the USA, for a number of years. He then went into the wine and spirits business in Brooklyn as an entrepreneur, while involving himself in the Bedford–Stuyvesant (Bed-Sty) area where he was one of the founders and active members of the Bed-Sty Business District. He also was selected to the leadership programmes sponsored by the Clinton Foundation, President Bill Clinton’s brainchild; as well as Goldman-Sachs, a leading Wall Street investment firm.
Edmon always tells me that his years in the GDF really gave him the foundation for a successful life, and, as the saying goes: “if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere”, gives credence to Edmon’s success linked to his early training in Guyana’s army.
The things which are positive because of a military career are not being told to the public. Discipline, problem-solving, conservative approaches to problems (not radical solutions which can backfire), co-ordination of resources to resolve serious situations and last but not least, a commitment to respect and regard civilian rule as paramount over any sort of military rule.
For example, after the American Revolution was won at Yorktown in 1774, General George Washington and the now powerful Continental Army of America, immediately handed military power over to civilian control with Washington retiring to civilian life at Mount Vernon – he later ran for and won the Presidency on the USA. Guyana’s military is steeped in the British tradition of military subservience to civilian rule and to orders from civilian superiors and has never violated that relationship.
The Guyana Defence Force has never engineered a military coup and has all these years recognized and worked under civilian rules and regulations, including the 23 years of PPP government rule. There has never been any attempt by the GDF to usurp our Constitution or try to bring even partial military rule to Guyana as has happened in many South American countries.
In these last few weeks before elections, issues about our children’s future are the most important facing us all as voters – we need to look at the bread and butter issues which affect us on a daily basis, not on issues which really only cast aspersions on people’s character, including their racial, religious or job descriptions – any job a Guyanese does, from military service to the fire service to the garbage collectors, is a noble job and is deserving of praise from us all.
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan(Jr.)
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