By Shauna Jemmott

WITH establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into conditions and circumstances facing veterans within the security and legal spheres, there is fresh hope that retired officers of the joint services would be adequately recognised and compensated for their services and the sufferings they had endured.Retired Colonel Desmond Roberts was on Monday sworn in before Georgetown Magistrate Judy Latchman as the lone Commissioner to enquire into conditions and circumstances facing veterans of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana People’s Militia, Guyana Police Force, and the Guyana National Service.

As per the terms of reference of the CoI, “the inquiry will investigate, examine, and report on the required support to enable the transition from service to civilian life; the quality of welfare service that promotes independence, maintains dignity, and provides the required support after service; the eligibility and adequacy of veterans’ benefits.”

Those benefits include “compensation for disabling injuries, psychological trauma, or a terminal disease resulting from his or her participation in service activities; dedicated counselling and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder or related conditions; honouring and memorializing of fallen veterans; education, training and skills’ development; facilitation of employment placement; facilitation of, or advice on, business opportunities; pension; access to healthcare; and housing.”

TWO-MONTH DEADLINE
The CoI was established, and the lone commissioner is required to deliver, within two months, to President David Granger “a report into the findings into those matters; and to inquire into all incidental consequential matters connected therewith, to report the findings and conclusions, and to advise the State on the conditions and circumstances facing the veterans.”

In a presser held just after the brief installation ceremony, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said it was the earnest hope of President David Granger, even as he sat in the seat of Opposition Leader during the Tenth Parliament, that such a commission be established.

“…President Granger, who was at the time Leader of the Opposition, brought a motion in the National Assembly calling on the government at that time to establish a Commission of Inquiry to inquire into the terms and conditions and the manner in which veterans of the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana National Service, the Guyana People’s Militia and the Guyana Police Force, how they were being treated after they would have retired from these forces,” Harmon stated.

While the previous government ignored the recommendation, Government now feels it is necessary to give effect to it. He said many of the veterans have been treated with total disregard, and some find it difficult to move ahead in post-retirement.

“Many of them are basically left destitute. Many of them who would have retired at a very early stage would have to be competing with younger people for jobs after they would have left the army. We would have to look at several issues. One has to do with aging, which is a big issue in the world right now. The other one has to do with the manner in which veterans are being treated,” the Minister of State disclosed.

UNIVERSAL
He said veterans’ concerns have become universal, with many countries placing emphasis on the welfare of the men who had served in the armed forces, establishing special departments to address their needs.

“…In Guyana, we are basically now trying to catch up. And these are people who would have actually given service to the nation; persons who would have put their lives on the line for their country… We believe that after they have completed military service or paramilitary service, they should be treated with a certain level of dignity and pride,” said Harmon, himself a veteran.

He told reporters that, by September 30, Government hopes to have received clear recommendations so that it can implement systems to ensure that veterans are treated fairly and are satisfied with the way they are being dealt with “by a society to which they have given their services and the best days of their lives.”

Harmon noted the two months given, but said: “Because of the nature of this investigation, it will probably require also an enquiry into the way in which the services operate right now; because you become a veteran after you would have completed service, and if the conditions of service now do not prepare you for a return to civilian life, then we need to have a look at that. So the CoI could possibly look into those matters.”

Meanwhile, Colonel Roberts told reporters he believes that military skills should be made transferrable, and a few other administrative matters should be considered.

“A lot of veterans, or people who are actively serving, have skills that are quantifiable, and I think that sometimes they’re not transferrable. We have to try and get some equivalency, to make sure that military skills can be transferred.”

Colonel Roberts had also served as Director General of the Guyana National Service, and Director of the Guyana Youth Corps. “I worked in all kinds of capacities in the field, and I think that in terms of administration, it is a very serious thing,” Colonel Roberts said.

The public hearings will begin in two weeks, according to the Commissioner.