Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that with the new economic frontiers such as mining and oil exploration, many new opportunities are opening up and as such, a higher level of public safety and security is required from the security sector.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee
The minister was at time speaking on a panel discussion entitled “Budget Implementation” along with colleague ministers, Priya Manickchand and Pauline Sukhai, on the National Communication Network (NCN), the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
Rohee explained that as Guyana progresses further, it is attracting more and more foreign investors, which in turn leads to improved living standards; and as such, the need for stronger and more effective security services intensifies. “Our responsibility is to ensure that there is a comfort level in so far as public safety and security is concern, and for us to do that, the organisations that fall under the Home Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and Guyana Prison Service, have to be adequately financed,” he explained.
The home affairs minister said that it would be naïve to think that society can be completely rid of crimes and deviant behaviours; however, constant efforts have to be made to ensure that these issues are at a manageable level; so that people can work and engage in leisure activities without fear.
“These are the kinds of responsibilities we have and the resources that have been allocated to us, imposes upon us the necessity to deliver higher level of service to the people of Guyana,” Minister Rohee said.
Turning his attention to protection of women and children, who are often described as the most vulnerable in society, the minister said that issues such as domestic violence and other forms of abuse have always existed in Guyana; however, the difference is that they were not dealt with as policy issues as they are today.
Government, under the stewardship of Minister Manickchand during her tenure as human services minister, spared no effort in tackling this matter in a holistic manner; raising awareness and enacting legislation to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. However, Minister Rohee explained that government alone cannot successfully eradicate this societal ill and called on members of the various communities to aid in this regard.
With regards to border protection, the home affairs minister explained that the country has bilateral cooperation agreements with Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela.
Additionally, there are several task forces, comprising all the law enforcement agencies including the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which meets on a monthly basis to address concerns as it relates to border security.
The Gy$1.8 billion allocated to the Home Affairs Ministry in the 2012 budget was approved by the National Assembly last Thursday.
