Dear Editor,
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana (CRG) Party congratulates His Excellency, Dr Irfaan Ali, on his increased focus on national security. Planned improved border patrol initiatives will help boost the gains from the gold sector and reduce trafficking in persons and illegal smuggling.
His engagement with the Indian military will also encourage more of our citizens to join the armed forces, which will provide a significant boost in diversity within our military. These are steps in the right direction, and the nation will be stronger economically and more secure as a result.
It may be worthwhile to initially have a separate Indian Guyanese battalion for a more effective use of the Indian military training initiative. Our current racial and political divisions should not be underestimated, and it may be easier to take such an approach before a fully integrated transition is effectively accomplished.
The issues of marginalisation and discrimination of the past have led to many Indian Guyanese rejecting the opportunity to sign up for military service – a remnant of the Burnham years that still strongly influences today’s perspective.
We may be able to overcome these past issues by allowing an opportunity for Indian Guyanese recruits to grow and develop in an environment where orders do not have racial undertones and where a purely military culture may take hold. Congratulations once again to His Excellency on advancing these initiatives.