The “military-dominated” Opposition a clear and potential danger for Guyana

Opposition Leader Retired Brigadier David Granger

…a clear and potential danger for Guyana

Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Secretary of the Defence Board, Dr Roger Luncheon said if he had his way he would make it constitutionally impossible for former military personnel to join political parties shortly after demitting office.

Dr Luncheon made the comments during a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA). He was at the addressing the role of the military and the influence of former servicemen joining political parties. A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the PNCR are currently being headed by Retired Brigadier David Granger and also has in its camp several other top commanders of the GDF and also a former Police Commissioner, Winston Felix (MP). One of   Granger’s top aides is ex-GDF officer Joseph Harmon.

Former Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Edward Collins

Responding to a question on how the body politic in Guyana has been affected by the ‘Granger factor’, Dr Luncheon expressed the view that “one may quibble whether indeed there is a one on one relationship between Granger, the militarisation and the success, but I would not quibble, I would give David the edge and say yes. But I have said that what it has done is that it has generated enormous potential for unravelling what has happened over the last 23 years,” he said.

With the potential for increased divisiveness in the body politic, he explained that, “It is easy to cultivate and revive memories and the spectre of the military and a military dominated opposition, and for many… a military dominated government, I think sets a radical reversal of where and what we were doing,” Dr Luncheon said. Luncheon would have been referring to what academics have described as the PNC’s under Burnham “militarisation of Guyanese society” when Guyana had a 1:32 soldier-civilian ratio.

Ex-GDF officer and APNU MP Joseph Harmon

Moreover, Dr Luncheon noted that this is perhaps something that has to be continuously addressed, the impact of a military dominated opposition on the serving military. “I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that, (I have seen the facebook articles, I have seen the social media) it is divisive,” he said. He noted that a Chief -of -Staff can walk off the job, respectful of the civilian military relationship, and next day be a strong architect of the opposition, but somehow it is not part of Guyana’s political traditions. Dr Luncheon was probably referring to former Chief of Staff Brigadier Edward Collins. Dr Luncheon said that he has examined this in Caricom and there are not many examples in the English speaking Caricom nations, of such actions. Even farther afield, the results have been mixed.

Disturbing

He said that a military dominated opposition, and further a military dominated government is disturbing. He views former military officers going into politics soon after leaving office as one that could be addressed constitutionally. “Were I to be given the authority by whatever possibility, I probably would have a constitutional amendment that would not allow this situation that sees within a reasonable time frame, serving members of the disciplined forces ensconce and actively engage in politics within days, weeks of their resignation, retirement, removal from service,” he said. Dr Luncheon shared that he had this discussion with the last Chief-of-Staff, Gary Best, noting that “… I think our history- what we have gone through and what other countries went through, ought to have some influence on how avidly we protect these constitutional rights of individuals particularly when there is a possibility of conflict with the general and public good,” Dr Luncheon said. Serving members of the Disciplined Forces actively engaging in politics within days of leaving their office puts a tremendous pressure on the Defence Secretariat, on Defence Headquarters and the leadership because now the potential for division exists and they now have to ensure that things do not go awry, Dr Luncheon said.

Changing the PNC-created perception

Former Police Commissioner and APNU MP Winston Felix

Meanwhile, Dr Luncheon also said that much has been done by the current administration to change not only the role, but the (negative) perception that a significant portion of the population has had of the armed services. He said today, the PPPC Government has vastly restored the confidence of the Guyanese people in the military. “I think that the professionalism that we have insisted, that the military has exhibited over these years, their record over these 23 years, has been such that we have been able to, by all intents and purposes removed from the immediacy of their engagement with the Guyanese people, those unpleasant historical antecedents.”

Reflecting on the change in the military from 1992, to now, Dr Luncheon said successive generations of Secretary to the Defence Board and Chief-of -Staff see this period as one that has built and has been building on the restoration of positive military tradition. He explained that this has been one of the goals of the administration.

The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) in 1992 became the government, and recognised that the military situation was “untenable, this was an unhealthy situation in any evolving democracy that indeed any military was indeed a disaster from day one,” Dr Luncheon said. T

hose who are convergent with the history of the politics, of the Government in Guyana will remember the role that was aspired to the military as an agent of the then PNC party in subjugating the democracy of the country in denying free and fair election.

Healing the breach

“My specific mandate was to do all that was necessary to heal the breach, and I am pretty certain the same instruction was given to the then Minister of Home Affairs who dealt with the civilian agencies,” Dr Luncheon said, as he recalled one of his earlier encounters with the then President Cheddi Jagan, pertaining to his role as Secretary to the Defence Board. Dr Luncheon explained that the late President understood clearly the need to heal the breach between the large segments of the Guyanese people and the military.

“We knew a patriotic military had to rise above that historical fact, and Dr Jagan said that one of our contributions was to contribute to that healing,” he said. “I want to believe, I have worked with every single Chief-of-Staff since 1992, and I have literally kept Dr Cheddi Jagan’s exhortation foremost in the administration’s engagement with the military establishment,” he continued.

There was a difficulty in changing the perception of the military to the public. Dr Luncheon noted, “It is not easy to eliminate, to remove from one’s consciousness, some of the issues that took place, but time is a great healer,” he said. “When what is being done currently supports the efforts to heal, support the efforts to undo, I think the opportunities that are realised can be quite significant as had happened in the Guyanese military example.”