“Who pocketed the cash?”
- Commanders were advised to seek public
assistance
During last November’s General and Regional Elections, police ranks
had complained bitterly about the quality, and in some cases, lack of food
while they were inlying in the various barracks throughout the country.
Their Commanders were advised to solicit the help of the public in order
to provide them with meals so that their stay away from home for the
one-week period would have been less stressful.
“Who pocketed the cash?”
They were told that the government had not provided money to the force for
their upkeep.
But as it turned out, that was a big lie; the government had budgeted a
whopping $90M for such a purpose.
In fact, several Divisional Commanders have informed that this was
revealed by a senior government official who had expressed dismay at the
fact that the ranks were shabbily treated.
Kaieteur News understands that a massive investigation has been launched
to determine who really benefitted from the disbursement of the cash, for
which the present government is seeking parliamentary approval.
Already some Commanders have provided investigators with statements.
According to the schedule of supplementary provision on the current and
capital estimates for the period 2011-10-05 to 2011-12-31, the government
has made advances from the contingencies fund to the tune of $90,649,200
to the Guyana Police Force through the Ministry of Home Affairs.
This amount was to “meet additional expenditure for the General and
Regional Election 2011; for feeding rural constables working on elections
day; for feeding of police ranks inlyned (sic) and to meet expenditure
associated with intensification of patrols in and around the city.”
Kaieteur News understands that it is customary for Divisional Commanders
to prepare a budget of expenditure for the provision of meals for the
ranks under their command on every occasion that an election is held.
This was done by a few Commanders but was reportedly rejected by the
Commissioner of Police in the run-up to last November’s elections.
Kaieteur News understands that the Commissioner informed his Commanders
that no money was provided for the inlying of ranks and advised them to
solicit the assistance of members of the public, which they did.
Kaieteur News was told that the scenario was exposed when former President
Bharrat Jagdeo visited Berbice prior to the elections. He enquired from
the ranks if they were prepared for the task at hand. The answer he got
shocked him – there was no food.
According to reports, the former Head-of-State made several telephone
calls and later assured the ranks that he had instructed that monies be
made available for the purpose of feeding the ranks for the extended
period when they were required to remain in barracks away from their
families.
But despite this, Commanders have reported that they never received any
cash, forcing them to seek alternative ways to meet the requirements of
feeding their ranks.
“We had to beg,” one Commander told this newspaper.
Another Commander reported that throughout the inlying period, seventy
percent of the ration received came from private citizens.
“The first day (of inlying) there was no food; public spirited persons
gave us a cheque to buy ration. The second day we had to send the ranks
home to eat and come back,” one of the Divisional Commander told this
newspaper.
After the situation became desperate, commanders were instructed to uplift
ration from the Police Consumers Coop Society.
But this move proved to be disastrous, since some of the perishables
consumed caused ranks to fall ill.
In Georgetown, the ranks had complained that they had to take their own
foodstuff, since that which was provided was substandard.
In some divisions the inlying was stood down a day after the elections for
want of adequate food.
“Although the tension was still high, we had to send of the ranks,” a
Commander explained.
But with $90M this situation should not have been allowed to happen.
And since no money was given to the Commanders for the purpose it was
intended, the big question is “Who pocketed the cash?”
Friday, February 24,
2012
