—Granger says due process was followed

By Navendra Seoraj
PRESIDENT David Granger on Tuesday justified appointing Brigadier George Lewis to head the army for three months, insisting that the decision ensured due process was upheld and it

also staved off any internal conflicts in the 52-year-old organisation.
Granger was at the time speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Brigadier Patrick West who succeeded Lewis as the 10th Chief-of-Staff of the military.

The Commander-in-Chief‘s comments seem to have been harking back to 2007 when then President, Bharrat Jagdeo side-stepped several senior officers in a move that angered some in the army and promoted Gary Best from Commander of the Coast Guard to Commodore and Chief-of-Staff. Andrew Pompey, Bruce Lovell and Mark Phillips all lieutenant colonels at the time were elevated to substantive colonels.
The supersession of the officers then meant that Lawrence Paul a Colonel at the time, with just about a year left in the army was overlooked to replace Brigadier Edward Collins, while Colonels Linden Ross, Frank Bishpam and Gordon Benn were superseded. The four men were offered secondments to the public service but only Ross had taken up the offer at the Carifesta Secretariat. Jagdeo had defended his decision saying he had acted in accordance with the Defence Act which gave him the authority to appoint the Chief-of-Staff.

Meanwhile, West’s appointment was deemed a symbolic day, taking over from Lewis, who served the “shortest” tenure ever, according to President Granger during his presentation at the ceremony at GDF’s Mess Hall. “This represents due process…the decisions of the Guyana Defence Board will ensure that officers retire when they ought to and those who deserve to be promoted get what they deserve,” Granger himself a retired brigadier said.
He said acting in this manner shows the commitment of the Defence Board, in ensuring that there is no future disruption to the professional development of the GDF. “Therefore, the benefits of a professional system will see to it that ranks serving a fair tenure without fear. “This is the 52nd year of the GDF and yes over the years they have been faced with many challenges but, I do not want internal problems to be one which affect members of the force,” stressed the President.

As such, he said while professionalism is paramount for an efficient unit, officers were reminded that professionalism is centered on certain pillars, one which includes military education. “You would not fly in a plane that is piloted by an untrained pilot.”
President Granger used Brigadier West as example of what he is speaking off, noting that the new Chief of Staff has offered 33 years of service to the force , during which he completed all his military studies both locally and internationally. West in 2010 became Guyana’s first officer to have earned two masters degrees simultaneously; one in Military Arts and Science and the other in Administration. That year he returned from the US where he attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the Central Michigan University, through the bilateral co-operation agreement between the GDF and the US Military.

He recorded phenomenal performance in all his assigned duties and was also lauded for his immeasurable contribution to the success and professional development of the Army, Air Force and International Military students last year, while taking advantage of every opportunity to enhance his own professional development.
Thus, in an effort to recognise the Brigadier’s service to the military, he was given the Military Service Star (MSS) by the Chancellor of Orders of Guyana, President Granger. “His service and qualification is comparable to any of the past persons who held the post which West filled,” said the President, as he indicated that West’s appointment can be justified at any time.

And, similar to the new Chief of Staff, everyone will be given a chance to serve in authority once they have earned it, despite their race, creed and religion. However, although they might rise in the hierarchy, they still need to remember that all members of the force have a social responsibility and are responsible for the entire society.
Plans

Meanwhile, asked what his plans are for the Force, the new Army Chief said that he intends to effectively transform the force for national defense, by exerting sheer professionalism in what he does. He indicated that the environment at GDF has changed considerably and every strategic direction is now decided by the Defence Board. “An environment like this is healthy to work in and I realised that a few years ago, the possibility to become Chief of Staff, hence I completed all my professional military education and academic education,” said the new Brigadier. The Brigadier promises to be a just Chief of Staff who intends to work cohesively with his colleagues and officials to ensure that national defence is a priority.