OPINION: Guyana does not need a Border Patrol Unit: The GDF is the Constitutional authority for Border Defence patrols

Last Updated on Sunday, 12 November 2023, 6:29 by Denis Chabrol

by Retired Rear Admiral, Dr Gary Best. He is also a former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force

The recent report by Kaieteur News of an announcement by the Attorney General of Guyana on the Government’s decision to introduce a bill which “… is intended to create a framework for officers to be appointed, and who will perform specific functions in relation to protecting, monitoring, guarding and patrolling our borders,” represents another unwise approach to protecting Guyana’s territorial integrity. In fact, this new initiative presents a danger to national defence in many respects. To be clear, Guyana does not need another separate unit to deal with the nation’s borders! That agency already exists. It is called the Guyana Defence Force which conducts protects, monitors, guards, and patrols our borders. To arrive at such an absurd idea makes it obvious that the government is devoid of good leadership in this critical area of national and territorial defence. 

The agency responsible for protecting our borders, and by extension our territorial integrity, is the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), established under chapter 15:01 of the laws of Guyana. The mission of the GDF, set out under section 5 of the Defence Act, reads as follows: “The Force shall be charged with the defence of and maintenance of order in Guyana and with such other duties as may from time to time be defined by the Defence Board.” Clearly, the GDF has a twofold mission- ‘defence of’ Guyana, and ‘maintenance of order’ in Guyana.  The key task supporting the ‘defence of’ mission of the GDF is the active border patrolling of Guyana’ land, maritime and air borders, limited as it may be. Importantly, border patrolling is the most important task of the GDF in peace time, hence its current deployment profile. Further, the GDF has been conducting border patrols from its inception, decades ago, and continues to do so.  

The government of Guyana should not tinker with the current defence architecture, but instead seek to upgrade it. One would have thought that such skill sets resided with it, but obviously such strategic analysts and critical leadership do not from part of the government’s pool of skilled loyalists. What the GDF needs is the allocation of adequate defence resources/assets so it can more effectively execute its ‘defence of’ Guyana mission. 

Recognizing that the GDF’s prime responsibility is conducting border patrols, the question that arises is, what else would the GDF be doing if a Border Patrol Unit (BPU) comes into law?  Unlike the United States military which operates outside the United States, the GDF has a mandate to defend Guyana from within the country’s borders. That’s where territorial integrity begins. Apart from the chaos in defence certainty this BPU would create, it would also undermine the confidence of the citizens in the GDF, and the confidence of the GDF itself as to its mission in accordance with the Defence Act and its defence responsibility under the Guyana Constitution. One should note that article 197A (3) of the Guyana constitution provides that “[t]he Guyana Defence Force established under the Defence Act shall in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities function in such a manner as to earn the respect and enjoy the confidence of the citizens.” The nation needs no clearer language that the ‘defence of’ mission of the GDF is also a constitutional duty. 

By what measure of rationality, therefore, the government of Guyana can even contemplate establishing a BPU which will directly collide with the constitutional duties of the GDF. There is no need for any BPU to do exactly what is already being done by the GDF. A parallel force will only create confusion! It’s almost as if the PPP is bent on attacking and weakening this premier national institution, for reasons to which I below refer. In the end, I see no good reason for such an adventure. 

The idea of this BPU is a reminder of the PPP’s discussion with the officers of the GDF, shortly after the 1992 general and regional elections, on its suggestion of a National Police Force to replace the GDF. That idea was unanimously struck down by the Chief of Staff, at the time, and his officers. I find the contemplation of a BPU tends to resemble the then plan to replace the GDF, only this time, miniaturising the GDF seems to be their first foray. How is it even possible, that the government of Guyana, at a time when Venezuela threatens to annex five eights of Guyana’s territory, could contemplate such confusion with national defence.  

The BPU is another convoluted and ill-thought-out defence non strategy which only adds more confusion to the current good defence architecture that exists. All that is missing is the provision of adequate resources. The Government should not trivialize the protection of the nation’s territorial integrity and consult with the nation’s defence and security experts in the protection of territorial integrity.  

The government of Guyana should withdraw this ill-advised Border Patrol Bill and consult with national defence experts in the interest of improving the nation’s territorial integrity.