By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ronald Webster says the body will not dictate to the President who should be in charge of the Guyana’s security sector.
This comment comes in the face of calls by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and by extension the Private Sector Commission (PSC) to convince President Donald Ramotar to remove Clement Rohee as Home Affairs Minister.
During a telephone interview with iNews Webster said, “The security of citizens is the responsibility of the Government in power… they have to make their decision, it is not the private sector’s responsibility to say who they should put there.”
The PSC Head made it clear that it is a political matter, but recommended that a more holistic approach be taken to deal with the security of the country instead of focusing on Minister Rohee.
“It is not just about Rohee, you have to get to the core”, he added. He believes the reintroduction of some form of national service can serve to reduce the incidents of criminal activity.
Only last week President of the GCCI and Vice-Chairman of the PSC Clinton Urling opined that the removal of Rohee will not solve Guyana’s crime problem.
Urling told iNews that following a recent security seminar conducted by the PSC to discuss what appears to be an escalation in crime; he is satisfied with the plans of Minister Rohee and more particularly the Ministry of Home Affairs for the local security sector.
“What we should do is examine why some of the polices that were implemented in the past have not worked or why the implementation of recommendations may be slow” he said, adding that “the focus should not be on Rohee’s removal because that does not solve the problem.”
The GCCI President recommended that the focus be placed on the executing agency – the Guyana Police Force – to examine what are the immediate needs of the crime fighting unit to quickly arrest the crime situation.
Opposition Leader David Granger is of the opinion that the longer Rohee is in charge of the security of Guyana, crime will continue to escalate.
The political opposition parties have been calling for Rohee’s removal for over a year now and according to the APNU, the Party is exploring other options aimed at removing the Home Affairs Minister from office. Granger said the Party has done all it possibly could in the National Assembly.
The APNU had moved a no confidence motion against Rohee, which was passed in the National Assembly. According to Granger, it is quite clear that after seven years of Rohee being in office, the crime situation has worsened.
