Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 14, 2010 AFC Column, Features / Columnists
By Raphael Trotman
AFC Leader
Very recent developments have caused me to re-visit the issue of national security versus citizens’ rights. Over the past decade we have witnessed the transformation of the security services of Guyana from being in service to the people and in partnership with them, to a whole new being that truly appears coercive and oppressive.
The past decade has seen military patrols and occupation of villages and even the use of field artillery in urban settings become features of this transformation. We had a rash of extra judicial killings; the operation of the Luncheon named “Phantom Force; charges of treason and sedition brought against outspoken citizens; the introduction of wire-tapping legislation; the torturing of civilians and youth by the police and; murder and robbery committed by lawless ranks within the GDF; the acquisition of water cannon to control or break-up citizens engaged in protest; the placing of cameras around the city (and I am reliably informed on the offices and homes of certain political parties and their activists), and now the construction of an imposing building to ostensibly house Guyana’s Central Intelligence Agency.
These developments, and I am certain that I inadvertently omitted a few others, whether seen in isolation, or collectively, point to a very worrying trend of “big brother government” taking over Guyana. We all believed that after the change of government in 1992, and with the reduction of tensions worldwide as a result of the bi-polar conflict known as the “cold war”, citizens, acting through their representatives, and not governments, would have become the nucleus of all structures of governance.
Alas, we appear to have come to that time described by George Orwell in his Animal Farm, “…they had come to a time when no one dared to speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.”
A friend was good enough to recently bless me with a wonderful gift of a book simply entitled: “From Political Won’t To Political Will: Building Support For Participatory Governance”. In the foreword there is a powerful statement that applies to Guyana as it does to most other countries in the world:
“Each day we witness security forces combating growing waves of protesters on the streets of our cities, communities resorting to violence in a last ditch effort to get their voices heard, multitudes withdrawing from the democratic process amidst growing skepticism of their effectiveness, and citizens from across nations questioning the legitimacy of the decisions their governments make in their names. National security, the so-called war on terror, historical grievances, real politik, logistical constraints, pragmatic realism, and culture have all been cited as excuses for ignoring, bypassing, or silencing citizens’ voices in policymaking and governance in self-proclaimed bastions of democracy and overtly repressive states alike.”
This statement frighteningly sums up the struggle that citizens are waging with their “governments”. Guyana is no exception as everything described by the author equally applies here without exception.
There is now constant chatter about Guyana’s own Central Intelligence Agency with the very imposing building being constructed on the lawns of Castellani House; a place of serenity and great sense of history, and meant to promote the arts, culture and our heritage. It now has a most inauspicious neighbour.
Thanks to Robert Gates, Guyanese are given a glimpse into what a professional intelligence service is supposed to do. However, and to Gates in particular, I wish to state that there is nothing normal about Guyana and this new structure, I predict, will come to symbolize the might and terror of the state before long.
Credit must be given to the Working People’s Alliance and other letter writers who have pointed out, that the erection of this edifice, or moreover what it will come to represent, is forecasting a huge and intimidating and imposing shadow of a dark state. Make no mistake about it, the seemingly flippant statement that intelligence about political opponents can come from rum shop “gaff” is serious, as the activities and discussions of many of Guyana’s political leaders and activists in “rum shops” and elsewhere are already under review and scrutiny.
In Guyana we already have the Special Branch unit of the Police Force, the Military Criminal Investigation Unit and the Intelligence Units of the GDF, CANU, Presidential Security, Home Affairs Ministry operatives and a host of shadowy figures who answer to politicos already. Then there is the Joint Intelligence Committee chaired by the Head of the presidential Secretariat.
I read of a recent incident involving “Ministerial Security”- never heard of it and I wonder under whose baton this nebulous group is organised and instructed.
With all these existing layers of intelligence gathering, the question then as to why Guyana is investing so much in intelligence over and above what already exists is therefore a valid one. It is one to which answers must be provided. Is the state of Guyana so threatened by state and non-state actors that it requires this level of sophisticated intelligence? We are less than 800,000 people and yet have this multi-layered security apparatus superimposed over us. This has to end.
Interestingly, the rejected UK-sponsored Security Sector Reform Plan catered for intelligence enhancing, but it was envisaged, understood, and accepted by all stakeholders, that this would be done through the Police Force primarily, and headquartered at its Special Branch office. Parliamentary oversight was an underpinning feature of the security reforms that were being developed as these important words were placed in the document: “Parliamentary oversight is at the core of democratic governance of the security sector and key to the success of the SSR programme”.
It is universally understood that without effective parliamentary oversight the security forces can, and usually do, misinterpret their mission and begin acting like a state within a state, place heavy strains on scarce resources, or exert, or become compromised by, excessive political and economic influence. They may hamper democratisation and even increase the likelihood of conflict. (Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector – an IPU publication).
We established the Standing Parliamentary Committee on National Security almost two years ago, but it has never met; has never worked out its terms of reference; and been exposed to the capacity building that were set out in Annex A of the SSRP
During the parliamentary debate of the Interception of Communication Bill in 2008, I made references to the situation in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and even the United States where the power to intercept calls and transmissions was being abused and political opponents were targeted. I went on to say that:
“It is an irrefutable fact that public confidence and trust in the security forces and state agencies is at an all time low. Who then is going to police the police to ensure that they will not allow themselves to be politically directed, and alternatively, not compromise their professionalism and integrity…in the context of Guyana and the history of political recrimination and targeting, I am prepared to say that the powers being vested by this Bill shall be used against the government’s political opponents.”
The underpinning features of a democracy are transparency and accountability. These are almost non-existent in Guyana as it relates to the operations of the security forces. The review process of the Disciplined Forces Commission Report of 2004 is incomplete, and there is a defunct Standing Parliamentary Committee on Security. All this while the government marches on; trampling more rights of citizens, and thereby, unwittingly, (or wittingly) bringing itself into confrontation with the people. I fear that we will face grim times ahead unless the people take a stand now because there will be no one left to turn to for help in the future.
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