….says Dr. Luncheon
THE involvement in `open politics’ and the possible implications for national security, of two-recently retired heads of joint services organisations, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in particular to parties opposed to the Government, is of concern to the members of Cabinet, as well as others . This is according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, who told a post-Cabinet briefing yesterday that the concerns for the actions of the two men, former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix, and Retired Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Brigadier Edward Collins, were noted when Cabinet met on Tuesday, last.
Felix, who held the position from 2004 to 2006, is on the list of candidates for the A Party for National Unity (APNU), one of the opposition parties contesting the November 28 General and Regional Elections, and which has as its Presidential Candidate, David Granger, who retired from the GDF as a Brigadier.
Felix has already mounted the political platform for the party during the ongoing election campaign.
Collins, whose tenure as Chief-of-Staff of the GDF was from 2004 to 2007, while not on APNU List, is said to be closely aligned to his retired colleague.
Said Dr Luncheon yesterday, “The choice of the military officer, be it retired, as the presidential candidate for the then PNCR, and now for APNU, was originally described as insensitive. What is infinitely more disturbing is the open involvement of the two most recent heads of services, Brigadier Collins, of the Guyana Defence Force, and ex-Commissioner Felix of the Guyana Police Force, both retirees within the 2006-2011 term of office of this administration.”
He noted that, essentially, heads of services in discharging their responsibilities in the security arena would have had “the most intimate contact” with government officials, even with the President in his capacity as Commander –in-Chief.
“Their open involvement with political parties so soon after their retirement, apart from being unusual, is disquieting, and can even be considered dangerous.
“The fact that they both have joined forces with political opposition parties, those opposed to the government, must be of great concern to those who are responsible for national security, particularly where it concerns access to information and potential disclosure,” Dr Luncheon said.
“You cannot walk out of disciplined services and join parties in opposition and even without joining, to be disclosing or even be in a position to disclose information that came to you because of the service and position you held in the National Security System,” he said.
According to Dr Luncheon many people who currently serve today in the local disciplined services, many would have various reasons to be ( so to speak ) obligated to these most recent departed heads of services ( Granger, Felix and Collins) and therefore, their appearance, so soon after their departure, actively in politics in opposition to the government cannot help but generate concerns.