THE protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana is the duty of all Guyanese and the government will never compromise on this, President Bharrat Jagdeo declared yesterday.
The Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces reiterated the position to members of the reserves and regular personnel of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at Camp Seweyo, Timehri.
He told a recent batch of reserves that has completed training that they must conduct themselves in an exemplary manner when they return to their communities so that they can inspire others and preserve the respect of the GDF and the government.
He urged them to use the knowledge and skills they have learnt to continue providing the traditional service to the community and to understand their responsibilities in the major task ahead of nation building.
“If we put aside differences, we can succeed. We have to succeed as there is no option of failure,” the President exhorted.
He noted that the current crime situation can retard the development of the country, but is confident that the difficulties can be overcome once all Guyanese remain positive about the future and do not fall prey to despair.
Apart from border threats, the President explained that several other factors could undermine the peace and integrity of the country, including narco-trafficking, epidemics and unilateral economic action by some countries.
Referring to the recent proposal by the European Union to cut sugar prices, Mr Jagdeo stressed that if implemented, it would affect all Guyanese because of the predominance of the sugar industry in Guyana’s economy.
The sugar sector accounts for nearly 17% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Turning to Guyana’s border issues, President Jagdeo said the use of force will only be a last resort and the government is using diplomacy in its efforts to resolve those issues.
He noted that with respect to the border dispute with Guyana’s eastern neighbour, Suriname, the government has taken the matter to the International Maritime Tribunal under the United Nations International Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In relation to the border issue with Venezuela, he said Guyana has been receiving consistent international solidarity at several internal fora, particularly at the Commonwealth level and from the Caribbean Community.
He alluded also to the bilateral treaty of cooperation with Barbados which incorporates fixed maritime borders with that country, adding that approaches to Trinidad have been made as well for a similar arrangement.
The President also explained that small developing countries like Guyana have constraints in defence because of scarce resources, and as such have adopted a policy of a small professional army while expanding the number of reserves.
There are about 1,200 reserves in the army and this number could increase in a few years to around 4,000. (CHAMANLALL NAIPAUL)