Intelligence… upgrade??

On the heels of the quick capture of the Venezuelan terrorist who bombed the midtown gas station, all kinds of info are now circulating about our “National Intelligence and Security Agency” (NISA). Now it’s all well and good to know what our Government’s doing about collecting information on the bad guys in and out of Guyana – which NISA’s hopefully converting to “intelligence” with their analysts!! But do we really need to know the minutiae of the spy hardware it acquired last year (for $150M – including “geolocation finders, earbuds, wristwatches, eyeglasses with hidden cameras, waterproof cameras and drone jammers”)?
What the dickens?? If our “agency’s” to be anything like the one it was clearly named after – the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to those who are at the back of the class!! – Then how can they conduct espionage if every Carlos, Juan and Maduro knows our spies all wear eyeglasses with hidden cameras, earbuds and smart wristwatches?? We’ve now blown their cover, and we hope our boys (and girls) aren’t being picked up to be waterboarded to spill their guts literally and figuratively!! Did Her Majesty’s Government announce in the Times that 007’s Aston Martin came with machine guns, an ejector seat, revolving licence plates – and could produce smokescreens at the press of a button??
And ironically there are complaints about the Agency being kept as a secret!! Heck…isn’t it a SECRET agency?? Back in 2012 it had been launched under Donald Ramotar’s presidency!! Remember the announcement that a “Central Intelligence Unit (CIU)” was housed at the back of Castellani House? The moment your Eyewitness – who grew up on Bond movies – learnt they had access to security cameras being deployed around Georgetown, he knew what was going down!!
In 2013 APNU’s security maven – former COP Winston Felix – screamed that there ought to be legislation governing the agency. Was clearly worried about the PNC being sussed out!! But when
Brigadier (rtd) David Granger took office in 2015 and announced, “We’re going to establish a National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), and the CIU will be incorporated into the NSA.” Did he pass any legislation?? No siree, Winston!!
Then in 2023, he read on one of the online news sites that NISA was gonna be sending agents to foreign capitals. While your Eyewitness was a tad long in the tooth, he figured there HAD to be the need for a silver-haired man-about-town who could wangle info from various and sundry femme fatales about who – in addition to Mad Maduro – was trying to get their hands on our newfound oil wealth!!
Unfortunately, he never got a reply to his application. He wondered if it was because he said he liked his rum-and-coke stirred and not shaken!!

…inside and outside?
Back in 2023, LOO Norton had indicated he agreed that NISA was necessary. He just had some concerns about its “sweeping powers” and its director being appointed by, and reporting to, the President. Fair enough…that’s what an Opposition’s all about. To suggest how the Government could perform its job better. So what’s the standard??  In the US and UK they’ve split their intelligence operations into domestic (FBI and MI5) and foreign (CIA and MI6), and their heads ultimately report to the head of their executive – POTUS and the British PM.
So your Eyewitness doesn’t see what the fuss is all about with our President “having too much power”. Who’s the intelligence supposed to be sent to, if not Pressie?? The Opposition Leader?? Jeez!!  It’s the executive branch of Government that’s in charge of all state institutions!! Are they gonna now complain that Pressie heads the Defence Board and is Commander of the Armed Forces??
Anyhow, that distinction between domestic and foreign-based intelligence agencies should be legislated. Pronto!!

…on FDI
It doesn’t take intelligence agencies to figure out why investors are beating a path to our door. The latest being the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB) pledging US$1 billion to us and Suriname.
Money attracts money!!