President David Granger, ahead of his visit to Baramita, Region One (Barima-Waini) has announced that he has instructed the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to brief the parliamentary committee on security on the steps that were being taken to secure communities located along the 800-kilometre border with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as a result of the unstable situation in that country, as well as the ongoing border controversy.
The Head of State also indicated that he expected that even as Government continued to work at the central and regional levels to ensure security in the border regions, that civil society will continue to be fully briefed.
Speaking during a brief interview on Tuesday, he assured Guyanese that Government was concerned about security and was deeply involved in ensuring their safety.
“At the Defence Board meeting that was held last Thursday, I instructed that the Guyana Defence Force should brief the parliamentary committee on security to let them know what preparations are taking place and I expect that there will be full participation, both by members of the Government side and the Opposition side. If necessary, we will take this to civil society and I have already briefed the Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force that civil society must be aware of what is taking place. So, we are operating at different levels; we are operating at a local level in the villages, in the frontline villages themselves,” the Head of State is quoted by the Ministry of the Presidency as saying.
President Granger referenced the Frontline Village Policy that was announced during his visit to Whitewater, also in Region One, earlier this month, which includes the setting up of military patrol bases and heightened 24-hour security by the GDF and the Guyana Police Force. The Commander-in-Chief, who chairs the Defence Board, has taken the lead in conducting outreaches to the frontline communities, to interact with residents and assure them of the Government’s commitment to their safety. The President explained that the unstable situation in Venezuela has resulted in a surge in illegal migration, which in itself, has the potential to open avenues for illegal activities such as gun-running and narco-trafficking.
Reassuring that Government is fully engaged in ensuring that security and all other public services are adequately provided to residents living in border communities, the Head of State noted that Government was taking a total approach to protecting the country.
Expressing satisfaction with the role Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley has been playing and the participation of Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) Chairman Gordon Bradford through the regional security mechanisms, the Head of State described the work in the Regions as non-partisan.
Last Thursday, at his post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon informed that Cabinet has adopted a concept note on a Frontline Village Policy, which is aimed at greater inclusion of all communities on our national borders in the body politic.
