QUESTIONS over the weapons that were loaned to the Ministry of National Development of the People’s National Congress (PNC) Government during the 1970s and 1980s and are now missing must be answered, according to People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Clement Rohee.

Speaking during the ruling Party’s weekly press briefing, he stated that current PNC leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, should be summoned to testify at the ongoing Commission of Inquiry into the death of Dr Walter Rodney. “I am convinced about the need for the Commission of Inquiry to summon Mr. Granger,” he said. Revelations from testimonies, which given at the CoI, prompted the PPP General Secretary’s call. Last August, Lieutenant Colonel Sydney James, who spent three days at the CoI on the witness stand, testified and submitted documentation that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) loaned high-powered military weapons to the PNC’s Ministry of National Development. The records that Lieutenant Colonel James tendered as evidence to the Commission show that the GDF loaned 200-odd weapons to the Ministry, as well as paramilitary organisations and other agencies. According to Rohee, both Granger and General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon, should be called to testify at the CoI. Both men served with the GDF during the 1970s and 1980s. “It is logical that a summons, because the Commission is free to summon people, should be issued for Mr. Granger and Mr. Harmon…they must not be allowed to escape scot-free,” Rohee said. The PPP General Secretary added that the questions that are hanging in the air must be answered. He said, “They should not be above scrutiny, in so far as the missing weapons are concerned…they worked in the military, they know what went on. LEGAL AUTHORITY “…the Commission of Inquiry has the legal authority, the legal remit, to summon Mr. Harmon and Mr. Granger to appear before the Commission to answer many questions associated with the demise of Dr Walter Rodney, as well as with respect to the weapons that have disappeared.” Of those 200-odd weapons, 155 are still missing today, with the GDF not engaged in searching for them.

INSEPARABLE In a prior comment on the matter, when James’ revelations were first made, President Donald Ramotar noted that the Ministry of National Development was “inseparable” from the PNC, as it was the office of the General Secretary of the PNC at that time and so the party cannot escape liability for the return of the weapons. “When those weapons were given to the PNC, the present leader of the PNC (Mr. Granger) was the commander of the army at the time and now that he is the leader of the PNC, I would expect that he would make some genuine effort to return those weapons,” he said. According to the Head of State, the missing weapons have found themselves in the hands of criminals, as indicated by Lieutenant Colonel Sydney James during his testimony. In 2008, the police found two of those guns, including a grenade launcher, in the possession of notorious criminals at Mahaicony. “We have been talking about the links of the Opposition to crime,” the President charged. He pointed out that the issue at hand relates not only to the 155 still missing weapons, but also to other weapons that have gone missing and used in criminal activities, which include the devastating crime wave that gripped the nation. Guyana’s unprecedented crime wave was responsible for numerous murders, kidnappings, and robberies and dates back to the now infamous February 2002 jailbreak, when five dangerous and armed prisoners escaped and sought refuge in Buxton village, which was widely regarded as a safe haven for criminals. Mr. Ramotar said: “We have said that the situation in Buxton would have never lasted this long, had there not been some political support for them in that area. Clearly we see that these are some of the things we have to fight against. What happened then impact us today, as far as crime is concerned.” He highlighted that Mr. Granger, on several occasions, called for the establishment of CoIs, but seems to ignore the need for a CoI to address something that is important for the country. “It is clear, coming out of the Commission, with evidence that these weapons were given to the PNC and they have found themselves in the criminal community. They have the responsibility of getting back those weapons,” the Head of State stressed. CONTINUED EFFORTS Until the weapons are returned, the President has assured that the relevant law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts to recover them. “We have been making a lot of efforts to get the weapons back, but maybe part of the reason we have not succeeded was what I just said, because of who was heading the army and the police at that time and where are they now,” he said. Mr. Ramotar stated too that his administration is committed to ensuring that illegal weapons are taken off the streets and out of the hands of criminals. He said: “Law enforcement agencies continuously will try to recoup those weapons…all the illegal weapons on the road, all the illegal weapons in the society, all the weapons in the hands of criminals, it is the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies to continue their work to try to get them back.” The Commander-in-Chief accepted his responsibility in this regard and stressed that the recovery of illegal weapons by law enforcement agencies is a standing order. “This is one of the important functions of the security forces, to get the weapons back. This is a standing order to get the weapons back,” he said. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the Defence Board has not yet addressed the revelations of the Walter Rodney CoI, as it has not met since.

By Vanessa Narine

http://guyanachronicle.com/ppp...issing-army-weapons/