By Rickford Burke
Joint Services ranks must unite with the majority of the electorate to vote overwhelmingly for the APNU+AFC coalition on February 21, 2020, and reelect President David Granger. The Coalition is the only hope for a stable, safe and prosperous Guyana.
Guyanese must unite to crush Bharrat Jagdeo’s obscene attempt to grab Guyana’s oil money. His PPP criminal enterprise is a clear and present danger to Guyana’s national security and Armed Forces. As President, Jagdeo forced the military and police leadership to subjugate themselves to a convicted criminal and drug lord. PPP officials attacked the Joint Services with ludicrous allegations and forced out competent leadership. Their death squads murdered several your GDF and Police colleagues with impunity and a wink from PPP government officials.
The PPP deliberately stagnated your salaries. They gave you — our brave men and women in uniform— a measly end-of-year, one-month salary bonus while refusing you permanent salary increases. Every January, you saw their fleeting sugar-hyped bonus disappear, as your salaries reverted to starvation wage.
The coalition government halted the PPP’s one- month salary bonus trick and granted permanent salary increases. When the government took office in 2015, a Police constable and GDF private earned about $50,000 per month.
President Granger ended this PPP starvation wage by increasing your salaries by 60%. At the end of 2019, each member of the Joint Services received an 8.5% or 9% tax-free retroactive salary increase on their January 2019 to December 2019 salary. You also received a permanent 8.5% or 9% salary increase effective January 2020.
A Constable or Private who earned $85,460, received a permanent salary increase of $7,112, and back pay of $85,344 on top of their December 2019 salary. Per diem also increased from $7.00 to $25.00, a 400% hike. Moreover, your government plans to increase allowances and implement a housing program to provide an affordable home for each service member.
President David Granger has commanded our Armed Forces with wisdom and dignity. He ended political interference in, and politicization of, the services; increased their budgets and provided the Police and Defence Forces with more equipment, weapons and ammunition. He increased operational capabilities of the forces. Engineers received more machinery. The Air Corps and Coast Guard received additional fleets, and improved land assets for regular and border patrols. All of this this led to a reduction in crime, more arrests and greater convictions.
The coalition government drastically increased academic opportunities for service members. Over 25% benefited from UG and overseas training. Hundreds more are being trained at GTI, Carnegie, GITC and Guysuco Training school. Staff strength has been increased by 30%. Reserve and constabulary personnel have been assigned to every Region. The Air Corps, Coast Guard and other specialized units have been reorganized and re-professionalized to create a more agile and effective force.
The 911 system was revamped to render faster, more efficient and professional service. Police divisions were increased to correspond with administrative regions, and the Prison and Fire Services have been reformed, reorganized, re-staffed and reequipped. Today, Guyana’s Joint Services are more effective and outfitted to provide better service.
President David Granger is committed to creating a highly paid, modern Joint Services that is fully equipped to ensure a safer, more secure Guyana. This is why I ask every member of the DGF, Police Force, Prison Service and Fire Service to vote for President David Granger and the APNU+AFC coalition on February 21, 2020. Let’s Move Guyana Forward Together!