Former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Rear Admiral (Ret’d), Dr Gary Best, believes urgent Constitutional changes are needed to safeguard the rights of Guyanese, and simultaneously curtail the rights of migrants, amid the growing threats from neighboring Venezuela and the increasing migrant population.

In an interview on the “SOURCES” programme, which will air this Sunday, Dr Best said the Guyana Government has a duty to keep its citizens safe, and must do all in its power to safeguard the country’s sovereignty.

Two years ago, Dr. Best recommended that the number of Venezuelan economic migrants entering Guyana be capped.

At that time, he urged the Government to put an immediate cap on Venezuelan economic migrants, while the country’s Defence and Security Forces conduct internal vetting to identify and separate those with verified family ties to Guyanese, from those who are economic migrants and refugees.

He said the recommendation is as relevant today as it was back then.

“Let’s process them, let the people see that we are processing them. And therefore, we identify those who are migrants, economic migrants, and those who are refugees, and those who do not fit the bill because if you are young between I would say 18 and 30, I have to look at you very carefully because many of those countries they have conscription, which means you have military service, mandatory one year and two years military service. You might be an economic migrant but you have military service before you, and then you could be led into an activity in the country that is taking care of you, and so, I believe that the Government dropped the ball big time on this,” the former Chief of Staff explained.

Dr. Best said Venezuela remains a clear and present danger to Guyana’s national patrimony, and he has no doubt that the Nicolas Maduro Administration has agents in the country.

In May, then Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn said there were Venezuelan sleeper agents (secret agents) in Guyana. However, months later, and in wake of the recent bombing at a Regent Street gas station, the Government has been silent on the issue of “sleeper agents” in the country.

But the former GDF Chief of Staff said the statement by the former Home Affairs Minister was likely based on intelligence received, and the Government should have heeded recommendations for Venezuelan migrants to be thoroughly vetted. He said the Government appeared to have dropped the ball on the issue.

In wake of the October 26 gas station attack, which claimed the life of a six-year-old girl, the Government announced several measures to capture information of migrants in the country.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo also announced on Thursday that the Government is actively considering new laws, which when passed will curtail some of the rights and privileges of migrants.

Dr. Gary Best said the situation is urgent and requires urgent attention.

“You can have a migrant population that is greater than your population but you have to have significant safeguards, for example in Dubai. Dubai those safeguards include one, you don’t have the right to vote. So, if the population has to go greater than our national population for the purpose of developing all of our sectors as we transition to a better country, we have to amend the constitution. We have to amend the constitution to say yes, you have no right to vote. Your right to vote can come after second generation or third generation because this is a country, in particular Venezuela that is challenging Guyana. Every single Venezuelan believes Essequibo belongs to [them], including a Venezuelan that was born of a Guyanese. Because you are Venezuelan, you are born from Guyanese parents, and you are taught that in school,” Dr Best reasoned.

He said land and other rights would also need to be examined. 

Vice President Jagdeo told reporters on Thursday that the Government intends to hold consultations on the rights that it is prepared to accord migrants.

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