Your Eyewitness knows there are all kinds of ‘security’ that concern us. Nowadays we hear about “food security”, “water security”, “physical security” and so on and so forth!! In fact, each of our needs has to be safeguarded and, in that sense, is part of our overall security imperative. Today your Eyewitness was pleased to hear Brig Omar Khan, Chief of Defence Staff, talking about our security vis-à-vis Mad Maduro and Venezuela. As you, dear readers, would know, this security threat is very high on your Eyewitness’ radar.
To hear the Brigadier has launched a weekly programme “Safeguarding Our Nation” – in which he’ll keep us abreast of the GDF’s role in countering threats against the country – shows your Eyewitness wasn’t paranoid!! From its mission statement, the GDF is supposed “to defend the territorial integrity of Guyana; assist the civil power in the maintenance of law and order when required to do so and contribute to the economic development of Guyana.” Nowadays, the last isn’t stressed too much – like back in the Burnham days when they focused on opening up the interior savannahs to agriculture and cattle rearing, etc. Burnham saw the GDF as a “modernising” institution and soldiers as “vanguards” of his “revolution”.
On the second mission – to “assist the civil power” – as part of dealing with civil unrest or threats, the army can be called out. But they play a supporting role to the police, whose responsibility it is. We saw this role executed when the PNC-supported so-called “Freedom Fighters” – based in Buxton – violently took on and overwhelmed the police. In the US, recently, the federal government has had to call out their National Guard and the Marines to confront protestors in Los Angeles. Brigadier Khan should be sensitising the GDF to the very fraught situations that develop here during and after elections – with the Opposition PNC instigating violent responses when they do badly at the polls. Our unfortunate history in this area doesn’t need repetition.
But back to Brigadier Khan’s specific focus in his opening broadcast. Very hearteningly, he informed us that – coordinated with other governmental agencies – the GDF has been screening Venezuelan refugees and immigrants. Your Eyewitness has long called for this precautionary move since Mad Maduro has shown he’ll stop at nothing to annex our Essequibo. Sending in his agents as fifth columnists who’ll later throw support behind Mad Maduro’s electoral machinations should be taken for granted. Also undercover are Sindacato bandits like the ones who shot at GDF forces across the Cuyuni – and blew up the GPL substation at East Ruimveldt! We must temper our compassion.
Your Eyewitness will address later the Brigadier’s claim that the Venezuelan threat is “more political than military”.
…NYC’s liberal credentials
A whole lotta folks are reeling in shock today with Zohran Mamdani’s victory over Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Party’s primary to represent them in the upcoming elections to become the next mayor of the largest city in the USA – New York City!! Even though he didn’t top the 50% mark to go through, the ranked votes that are going to decide who will or won’t change anything. And with Democrats vastly outnumbering Republicans, Mamdani’s a shoo-in for mayor – the first Muslim one!!
The son of a Marxist, Muslim, Indian-origin refugee from Uganda, and a Hindu Indian-origin mother – filmmaker Mira Nair – Mamdani’s bucking the red tide sweeping over much of America. Both of his parents work at Columbia University – which is presently at odds with the socialist, pro-Palestinian ethos of the Mamdanis. His platform was focused on making living in NYC “affordable” – which clearly struck a nerve with the city’s populace that’s used to the huge subsidies they enjoyed over the years.
And which Trump now threatens!!
