Friday July 26, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 35
164 soldiers graduate from recruit course By Javone Vickerie Relatives and friends of 164 soldiers yesterday cheered and watched on as they marched across the National Cultural Centre tarmac to officially conclude their basic recruit course for the year. Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Commodore Gary Best, charged the successful graduands to uphold their oath to serve and protect. “I charge you to uphold the values of the Guyana Defence Force, which are duty, discipline, identity, integrity and loyalty. I charge you to live by the Force’s creed which is ‘I am a professional in the Guyana Defence Force and service is my motto’. I charge you to serve your people,” Best emphatically stated. Best noted that this will be the last set of recruits he will be addressing as Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force. ‘As I reflect on my many experiences, at a time when I stood on this same square, I realized that I could achieve all that I could achieve when I stood in similar fashion some 33 years ago,” Best said. The Chief of Staff said that he sincerely believes that the recruits, while members of the force, could achieve anything they desire if so
Graduates of Basic Recruit Course 2013 display their marching skill inclined. “Why are you here? Why did you answer the call when we advertised? Why did you push yourself beyond your own expectation? To ensure you graduate here today. Never quit, never give up, never give-in, and never go absent from their work. “For most of you I believe the answer is I just wanted to become a soldier, and that is a good answer. For others it was just for employment. That too is a good answer. When I joined the force over 33 years ago I s i m p l y needed a job,” the Chief of Staff said. Best told the ranks that they also need to know what a soldier is and what is required.
“As a soldier, you’re a person that has agreed to give your life to your country. Giving one’s life is the greatest contribution any citizen can give,” Best said. He added that as soldiers, their constitutional duty is to defend their country and to maintain order. These two tasks, he stressed, would require some amount of sacrifice from army ranks. Best highlighted that the GDF is committed to providing each and every soldier with the opportunity to acquire academic qualifications in addition to their military skills. “We will educate you up until the level of University once you possess the
Motion passed… COI to be set up for riverine incidents By Abena Rockcliffe After about an hour and a half debate on whether there should have been an adjournment of the sitting or to go on with the business of the National Assembly, the order paper was proceeded with. The first and only item dealt with yesterday was Opposition leader David Granger’s motion titled “Appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the incidence of Maritime and riverine incidents, injuries and deaths.” The government was against the move to have a sitting yesterday, and so it decided not to deal with its business. Therefore, the sitting officially started dealing with Private Members’ business. Granger’s motion, as the title basically explains, is to ensure that all boat accidents are investigated. This, Granger said, is to be undertaken so that the shortcoming could have been identified, evaluated and corrected.
Despite Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn’s submission that instead of appointing a Commission of Inquiry (COI), collaborative works between him and his “shadow” can address the problem, the Opposition insisted on a COI. As Granger introduced the motion, some members of the government walked out and Granger expressed that he understood very clearly why the government would not want to support his Motion. He nevertheless stated that there is an urgent need to pledge support to the safe use of the waterways. He pointed that it is reported that the average death rate resulting from boat accidents yearly is nine. Granger said that it must be noted that some years it would be more and some less. “But we prefer to not to lose even one life.” He said that his party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), is not satisfied that the Ministry of Public Works has the capability to prevent riverine accidents. He noted that his party is also not satisfied with the
infrastructure set to save lives and prevent accidents. According to Granger, innocent commuters are vulnerable as there are a number of unqualified captains; “some can’t even spell boat.” However, Minister Benn objected to Granger’s statement as he said, “I am sure they can spell lots of four-letter words”. He said that Granger’s statement was an insult to the ordinary man. Benn said that he acknowledges that there are challenges that need to be addressed; however, a number of initiatives are being introduced to address those challenges. “It’s just that we don’t beat our own drum.” The Minister said that to appoint a COI for such an issue, as important as it is, will drop the standard of COIs. He therefore submitted that his Ministry work along with the Opposition to keep up the strides made and together tackle the issue. Granger, however, chose to move through with his Motion. The Motion was passed and the Commission of Inquiry will be set up.
requirements,” Best vowed. The Chief of Staff said that he strongly believes that the soldiers will make a difference in the Force and the society as a whole. He urged
them to stay focused and be the best they can, while wishing them success in their pursuit. On April 3, a total of 242 recruits assembled at Base
Camp Ayanganna. According to a release from the GDF, on April 10, the ranks commenced a period of 16 weeks of training at Tacama at the Colonel John Clarke Military School, Base Camp Stephenson – Timehri and Colonel Robert Mitchell Jungle and Amphibious training school – Makouria. Over the period of training, the force lost a total of 78 recruits who did not meet the standard of the course mainly because of medical reasons. During yesterday’s ceremonial proceedings, seven ranks were awarded for their different accomplishments during the course. The best student was RCT 22896 Shaquel Carrol along with the runner up RCT 22731 Basil Watson.