Coalition pleads for Disciplined Services vote

The APNU+AFC on Thursday issued a plea for the Joint Services to vote for the Coalition. Over 10,000 members of the Army, Police and Prison and Fire Services are registered to vote on Friday.

The Disciplined Forces are voting ten days before the rest of the population as they will be working to ensure peace and order on March 02.

At a press conference at its Lamaha Street office, Georgetown, the Coalition brought out retired Brigadier and former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Edward Collins to make its case. He noted that a vote for the APNU+AFC is a vote for more resources, better transportation and meals and access to better services.

“I come to you on behalf of the coalition to request your vote,” he noted.

Collins is also an elected member of the Central Executive Committee of the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) and once served as President David Granger’s security advisor.

“Officers and ranks, I am sure you would agree that tomorrow is a very important day in your lives as well as the lives of your mothers, your fathers, your sons and daughters and the lives of all Guyanese. It is a decisive day, a day when you will decide who you want to be your commander-in-chief,” Brigadier Collins added.

The former soldier said under the coalition, there has been an increase in salaries for the Disciplined Services and increased budgetary allocations.

President David Granger at the opening of the GDF conference in January said monies to that body alone has increased from just G$ 8.04 B in 2014 to G$13.9 B in 2019.

Meanwhile, also at the news conference Thursday was Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan who is also the leader of the AFC. He echoed similar sentiments as Collins.

“Over the past four and a half years, we have ensured a greater comfort of our officers and rank and file within the disciplined services. As a matter of fact…we have seen more academic training and professionalization of the police force,” he said.

The Security Minister said the APNU+AFC has also facilitated an overall decrease in serious crimes which includes murder, robberies and rape. He said this was done through a targeted approach to hotspots around the city.

He referred to the upgrade of the 911 system, new police stations, better provisions for domestic violence victims, the implementation of a witness protection programme and other incentives.

The Coalition’s Prime Ministerial Candidate said the APNU+AFC will ensure each policeman own their own homes through the assistance of mortgage and provision of loans if the Coalition is re-elected to Government.