This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000153 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINS SOCI GY
SUBJECT: EDITORIAL ON GUYANA'S SECURITY CHALLENGE 
 
REF:  GEORGETOWN 111 
 
The editorial in Sunday's Stabroek News describes very 
well the conundrum of security in Guyana and the state's 
limited capability to police its territory.  The Stabroek 
News is Guyana's leading independent daily newspaper. 
 
Begin quote: 
 
An effective state 
Sunday, February 12th 2006 
 
Given all the circumstances the police undoubtedly made a 
wise decision not to go into Buxton during the funeral of 
Mr Ronald Waddell last Saturday, although they did 
accompany the procession up the East Coast highway, and 
armed ranks lined both sides of the road as the motorcade 
passed through Annandale. While the judgement of the 
police cannot be faulted on this occasion, nevertheless, 
the fact that Buxton is still a no-go area for the 
authorities speaks volumes about the capabilities of the 
state. 
 
Last week at a press conference in Freedom House, the PPP 
had one of its periodic grumbles about the failure of the 
police to rid the village of gunmen, as if in some split 
personality sense, it was no longer the party in 
government with its hands on the levers of power. It is 
clear that despite all that has happened, the party has 
not yet come to terms with how this situation evolved and 
its role in the process. Which is a pity, because we live 
in troubled times, which require a realistic approach in 
assessing events and a sensitivity of judgement when 
making decisions. 
 
The PPP/C came into office at a disadvantage in 1992, in 
the sense that it did not trust the security forces, 
whose members were seen as being loyal to the main 
opposition. In addition, where the GPF was concerned, the 
professionalism of this force had been seriously 
undermined under the PNC and corruption was already a 
major problem. Also noteworthy was the fact that the 
previous government had depended on a special unit in the 
force which had become notorious for its association with 
extra-judicial killings. 
 
One might have thought that the new government would have 
regarded it as a priority to build a genuinely 
professional police force with forensic and investigative 
capability, deal with corruption among its members, move 
away from a reliance on what was popularly known as the 
"death squad," invest some real money in equipping the 
GPF, explore ways of encouraging Indians to join, and 
negotiate with the IMF over the matter of salaries so 
that officers would at least be beyond temptation where 
petty bribes were concerned. 
 
History, however, got in the way, and the experience of 
the 1960s blinded the government to a rational approach 
to the problem of their security. Instead of enhancing 
the professional capacity of the police, they undermined 
the institution of the GPF. It was starved of equipment, 
and there was political interference at various levels in 
its operations, because the administration placed its 
trust in those individuals and groups within the force 
with whom it felt comfortable, rather than in the force 
as a whole. Inevitably this subverted the normal chain of 
command. 
 
In addition, the administration placed its trust in the 
Target Special Squad - taking the same route as its 
predecessor - which became notorious for the allegations 
of extra-judicial killings made against it. Furthermore, 
it defended the TSS vigorously, despite the fact that the 
latter was perceived as targeting African victims, 
thereby raising the political temperature, and despite 
the fact that it emerged during a grand jury hearing in 
the United States into a US visa scam that some of its 
members were involved in corrupt activities and had hired 
themselves out as an enforcement squad. 
 
And then 2002 hit the country, and the government found 
itself with a thoroughly demoralized, totally ill- 
equipped police force with neither the human nor 
technical resources to confront the crisis. Furthermore, 
because of the level of corruption among its officers, 
the public did not trust the GPF with information, which 
effectively ruled out any intelligence-led 
investigations. 
It is true that eventually the government was prevailed 
upon to disband the TSS and pour some funds into the 
police force, but in the meantime the immediate problem 
of the major Buxton gunmen was dealt with by shadowy 
death squads, whose possible association with the state 
has never been elucidated because the government has 
never held a comprehensive enquiry into the matter - or 
even into the origin and development of the Buxton 
phenomenon in the first instance. The limited enquiry 
which was held, while it cleared then Minister of Home 
Affairs Ronald Gajraj from any association with such a 
squad (or squads), did not address the larger question. 
 
As it is the death squad(s) are still around, while a new 
generation of gunmen haunts the southern reaches of 
Buxton. And the weakened enforcement arms of the state 
have so far been unable to deal with either. On an 
ominous note we have started this election year with the 
killing of a political activist, and given the tensions 
and the number of gunmen of whatever affiliation around, 
we say again, it is imperative for the health of the 
nation that this case be solved. We say again too, if the 
police cannot make progress, then the government must 
seek external assistance. 
 
Rebuilding the Guyana Police Force is going to take time, 
but the administration should do all it can to facilitate 
that process by among other things implementing the 
recommendations of the Disciplined Services report. It 
should also start confronting problems directly, rather 
than indirectly as is its wont. It is only when the state 
is seen to exert itself in a lawful fashion that it will 
be perceived to be strong and not weak. And the state 
needs to be perceived as effective at the moment; after 
all, the warlords are waiting in the wings. 
 
End quote. 
 
BULLEN