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tuesday, august 20, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com
Best commissioned UG students back from OAS programme as rear admiral
Members of the University of Guyana International Affairs Association. From left: Kadasi Ceres, Donette Gilbert, Keon Thom, Latrecia Belle, Le-Shante Marks, Kirly Bacchus, Latoya Garraway, Abigail Adams, Travez Daly, and Derwayne Wills
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Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Defence Board Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon shares a light moment with Delicia Best, the wife of army chief-of-staff and newly-commissioned Rear Admiral Gary Best in the presence of Best and President Donald Ramotar (Carl Croker photo)
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resident of Guyana and Commander-inChief of the armed forces Donald Ramotar has promoted Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief-of-Staff, Commodore Gary Best to the rank of rear admiral. Best is the first Guyanese to be promoted to rear admiral; a naval commissioned officer rank just above that of a commodore. He was bestowed with the badge of rank by head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon at the Office of the President on Monday, in the presence of his wife, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, senior GDF officials and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarians Winston Felix and Joseph Harmon. In offering congratulatory remarks, President Ramotar said Rear Admirable Best has offered an exceptional service to Guyana by creating a safe haven for Guyanese and visitors. This, he said has helped the country to move forward with nation building and development of the economy. “Mr President, it is a dis-
tinct pleasure on my part to thank you for the confidence the government of Guyana has invested in me, over the past six years as the chiefof-staff,” Best said. According to him, he could not have done it without the support of his wife and the staff of the GDF, as he expressed optimism that others would follow his footsteps. “I trust that I will be setting a path for others to follow. So for me, this is a fulfillment for my years of service, and testimony of the confidence the government of Guyana has in me, also the confidence of my own officers in me to rise to this level,” he said. Rear Admiral Best has served the GDF for 33 years, with the last six years being as chief-of-staff. He is set to retire on September 17. Asked about the current state of GDF, the new newly-promoted rear admiral told the press that it is ready for transformation and modernisation. Since the commencement of the year, Best has been calling for a reformation in the policies governing the GDF. At the ar-
my’s conference in February, Best said in this current era, there should be a shift from the “conventional construct of territorial defence”, and a move towards “writing and defining of new missions for the Guyana Defence Force”. According to him, the GDF must modernise its strategies and systems, positing that no amount of sophisticated equipment could enable a more professional and progressive defence force if it is not done in a strategic manner. “The preliminary findings of the force’s strategic defence review, already submitted to the defence force also point to the need for the force to be more strategic, adoptable and well-coordinated in the way that we advance our interest and protect national security,” he was quoted as saying. In an effort to reap success from the “new and necessary missions”, Best said there must be an increase in maritime and air resources allocated to the GDF. He also lamented the need for the repositioning of the force’s interior based location.
APNU concerned about criminal attacks on businesses
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he A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has noted with grave concern the increased attacks by bandits on business owners, especially those who conduct their operations in rural communities. The coalition called on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Home Affairs Ministry to act now to restore confidence in the business community and the general public. “Business owners, potential entrepreneurs and all citizens need to feel a sense of safety and security, something that is sadly
lacking in Guyana today,” APNU said in a release. According to the grouping, the recently released crime figures, by the GPF which indicate that 472 cases of violent crimes were reported as of June 2013, shows that much more needs to be done to address what has clearly become a national epidemic of violence. Recently, APNU said it called for the establishment of an Inter-personal Violence Unit as it believes this can address the problem. The APNU said it is of the opinion that enough is not being done to comprehensi-
bly fight crime, especially violent crime. It claims the evidence has shown that the community policing groups as presently configured and tasked countrywide cannot, and will not solve the crime problem. According to the coalitions, members of the Guyana Police Force at all levels must be given the leadership, equipment and relevant training, so that they can meet their mandate of service and protection. “APNU calls on all responsible parties to act now to secure a reversal of this trend of armed robberies and violence against persons.”
he University of Guyana International Affairs Association (UGIAA) students recently returned from an enlightening and rewarding experience at the Model of the Organisation of American States (MOAS) held last month in Washington DC. Representing the UG was a delegation comprising nine international affairs students who were selected after a stringent process. The group attended the MOAS from July 23-26 held at the OAS headquarters in Washington, DC. It was the first MOAS for universities of the hemisphere to be held in Spanish in the United States.
Group sessions
The students represented Paraguay and its position on various issues relating to politics, international affairs, and human rights developments. They discussed the issues through working group sessions with other delegates from more than 100 other universities who all gathered to address the issues of global politics and human rights activism. The working group sessions were done in the four main committees: the first dealing with legal and political issues, second –
hemispheric security, third – committee on summits management, and fourth focusing on the administrative and budgetary aspects of countries in the hemisphere. Members of the delegation included outgoing UGIAA President Travez Daly, who was in the general committee; Derwayne Wills; outgoing UGIAA Vice President Kirly Bacchus; Donette Gilbert – first committee on juridical and politics affairs, UGIAA Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Latoya Garraway; Keon Thom – second committee on hemispheric security; Abigail Adams and Le-Shante Marks – third committee on InterAmerican Summits management and civil society; and Latrecia Belle – fourth committee on administration and budgetary affairs.
Focus
The students were accompanied by their faculty adviser and lecturer Kadasi Ceres. The focus of the model was application of the principles of the Social Charter of the Americas to strengthen democracy. The model was attended by some 500 students from over 34 countries of the Americas. MOAS is a simulation ex-
ercise of the proceedings of the OAS Permanent Council and the annual regular sessions of the General Assembly that provides students in the discipline of international relations with the experience of participating in a replica of a functioning OAS General Assembly.
Debates
It is aimed at engaging students of the hemisphere in debates, lobbying, negotiations and working groups experiences, while familiarising them with important topics of interest and problems affecting the region. Over the years, the UGIAA has helped UG students to develop their knowledge and skills of participatory democracy through the experience of representing a member state at the model general assemblies of the United Nations and OAS. The UGIAA has also been grooming students who have a drive for academia and an interest in the fields of diplomacy and social activism. The university body through its selection panel has propelled students to the MOAS, allowing them the privilege of representing the UG and Guyana at the international level.
LIAT services to get boost with return of new plane to fleet
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IAT, a Caribbean airline is expected to improve significantly with the return of a new plane to its network. LIAT announced that its service was boosted by the return to service of one of its two newly acquired ATR aircraft which was grounded in Barbados for about a week due to a technical issue that has now been resolved, according to a statement. “Nothing is more important to us than the security and safety of our passengers,” said LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ian Brunton. The ATR 72, a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional aircraft, is one of two such planes recently acquired by the company in its fleet modernisation programme.
“Unfortunately, in the aviation business aircraft, both old and new, experience technical issues from time to time, but safety is our major concern and we apologise that our passengers were inconvenienced, especially during the peak summer season, ” Brunton added. Reiterating LIAT’s safety focus required immediate action on maintenance concerns, the CEO reported. “The new parts that were needed have arrived and been installed in Barbados – our maintenance team has given the aircraft the thumbs up.” The ATR-600 brings new operational capability to the ATR family through outstanding performance at take-off on short runways, increased max payload, reduced maintenance costs,
redesigned cabin, and latest avionics technology. To improve passenger comfort and operational efficiency, LIAT is replacing all of its Dash 8 aircraft with the ATR aircraft. Later this week, LIAT expects the delivery of its third new ATR 72 from the France-based manufacturer. The re-fleeting programme is expected to be completed next year and will see the ageing fleet of Dash 8 aircraft being replaced with 12 brand new ATR-600 series aircraft. The new fleet will include a mixture of 68and 48-seaters. By the first quarter of 2014, more than half of the new ATRs are expected to be operating throughout LIAT’s network, with the remaining airplanes expected to come on line by the end of 2014.