ADDRESS OF MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE HON. ROBERT PERSAUD, MBA, MP TO DINNER OF THE ANNUAL POLICE OFFICERS’ CONFERENCE Saturday, April 26^th 2008

Good Evening!

I always have mild trepidation about having to speak at dinners. I am on such occasions reminded of the biblical story of Daniel entering the lions den. The part of the story that is not often told is that upon looking around the den at the ferocious animals, Daniel remarked, “Whoever’s got to do the after-dinner speech, it won’t be me!” 

To those worried about having to endure my presentation tonight let me remind you that someone once said, “The table is the only place where one is not bored for the first hour.”

When you are at a dinner table, there are an abundant number of ways to entertain yourself and not become too worried about what your feature speaker has to say. In fact, I see some persons already fiddling with their cutlery and napkins.

 And I am sure that some of you are keeping your fingers crossed and saying to yourself, “I hope he didn’t come here tonight to speak about agriculture.” Or perhaps questioning why the Minister of Agriculture would be addressing this important gathering of police officers. In fact,  just before I came here I asked myself the same question.  

 It is however a great privilege to be here tonight in the company of the Officers of the Guyana Police Force, and especially to share in your culinary delighets. With the way food prices are going globally, I am not so certain that I will be on your next invitation list.

 The Government of Guyana which I represent is mindful that the police, like all other workers, are subject to the same pressures induced by the steep increase in food prices globally. The reduction in global output of grains, the diversion of crops  to energy production, the effects of global warming,  increases in the cost of fuel and agricultural inputs, along with greater demand for food by emerging economies such as India and China have all combined to precipitate a global food crisis.  Just this past week, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme repeated the forecast that the spiraling global food crisis will push some one hundred million persons into hunger.

We here in Guyana have not been immune from these increases. In response, government is taking steps to contain inflation and cushion the negative effects of spiraling food prices and its contagion effects on the cost of living. Since last year, the government has been monitoring the movement of food prices, and recognizing that this is also affecting our Caribbean brothers and sisters, has actively engaged the regional community in discussions on this matter.

In fact towards, the latter half of 2007 a specially convened  summit of Heads of Government of CARICOM was held in Guyana to come up with a regional response to the problem.

Locally, a number of measures such as special interventions for vulnerable persons, market interventions by the Ministry of Agriculture, fiscal interventions in the form of reduction and zero-rating of taxes of a wide range of food items, along with other measures to contain inflation have been characteristic of our government’s response to the crisis.

As police officers, with experience in facing danger headlong, you will know that adversity is a two-sided coin. On the one hand it presents challenges; one the other it offers opportunities.

The global food crisis provides both challenges and opportunities for us here in Guyana. As a challenge, the food crisis will force us to:

1)      be more vigilant against climate change,

2)      to be proactive in securing agricultural infrastructure including in the provision of improved drainage and irrigation services,

3)       to reduce the cost of inputs into the productive sector

4)       to work with the farmers and others in the sector to improve methods.

In terms of opportunities, while it is not our intention to profit on the misfortunes of others, Guyana has tremendous agricultural potential, including the ability to feed the entire region and we are already a net exporter of food. The global food crisis, and especially the increasing cost of food within the region, opens up tremendous opportunities for Guyana to grow more and to export more crops, livestock and other products.

In relation to our exports, I want to say that we remain committed to meeting our regional export commitments. However, our first call must of necessity be to ensure local food security. To guarantee this security my ministry is actively encouraging increased production, increased yields and the promotion better methods and systems within the sector.

Food security is our objective as food insecurity is a treat to national security as we have seen elsewhere. We will ensure that Guyanese will continue to produce sufficient food to meet domestic demand while at the same time expanding production and increasing exports.

While we strive to maintain food security there is equally the need to address the security of food and those who produce food – our farmers. And this is where I think the police have a pivotal role to play.  Piracy, cattle rustling and predial larceny all represent threats to increased and sustained agricultural production in Guyana.

While the theft of agricultural products is often not viewed as a major crime problem, there is nothing more frustrating to a farmer or even to a housewife cultivating a small kitchen garden, than having his or her produce stolen. Many persons have expressed to me how de-motivating it can be to labour for weeks on your farm, and just when you expect to reap the fruits of your hard work, you discover that someone has made off with your produce. In fact if you study the decline in agriculture in many communities, you will discover that persons simply stopped cultivating their farmsteads because of losses through theft.

It is the same problem with cattle rustling. Here the losses can be more significant. I therefore would like to urge the police to make strident efforts to deal with these problems of theft of produce, cattle rustling and piracy, lest these deter agricultural production at a time when Guyana really needs to make use of its vast resources of land and rivers in the drive for food security.

Even the security and safety of our farmers are at times threatened by the criminal elements.

Given what is taking place around the region, Guyana’s extensive land and water resources are being eyed by investors. Guyana of course welcomes investments in the agricultural sector but, as with all investors, in making their investment decisions, consideration must be given to the overall crime situation in the country.

As you are aware, the reduction of crime is being given the utmost priority at this time. There are of course great challenges ahead for the Police as they go after the heavily armed gangs that have inflicted searing wounds on the social fabric of this nation. This effort of going after those whose murderous actions had a heavy toll is ongoing and while there are some who understandably are looking for quick-fixes to the problem, we realize that the solution requires some amount of patience and understanding, especially at this time when the Guyana Police Force is undergoing a process of reform, aimed at strengthening it capacity and improving its effectiveness.

Often it is the lack of success in solving mass crimes that condition the perception of the effectiveness of law enforcement. But as all of you know, each day the police make arrests, institute charges and secure convictions within our Courts. Each day crimes are solved and dents made into the criminal machinery and incursions achieved into their networks.

Just this past Tuesday, I was going through the newspapers and read about a number of charges made by the police in relation to recent murders within our society.  I applaud the efforts of the hardworking men and women of the Force who so diligently, and often without acknowledgement, continue to find solutions to the crime problem in Guyana

The police are often not given sufficient credit for the excellent work that they do, day in and day out. You as officers know only too well that often the only publicity that the police receive is adverse publicity.

 Legitimate criticism of the police is something that should be encouraged. No organization will improve or better its performance if it simply shields, deflects or insulates itself from criticism. But in as much as the police also accept fair comments on their actions, they should I believe do a great deal more in highlighting their many successes in reducing crime. 

Finally, I wish you as Officers of the Guyana Police Force to be mindful of the way in which persons relate to you since this is often shapes public opinion and consequently the support you will enjoy in the wider society.  In my numerous interactions with the public, both in my personal and private capacities, I have often found that many persons feel intimidated by the police. Many persons have confessed to me that often when they are stopped by policemen on the road, their pulse rate and heartbeat increases.

I have asked many persons why they feel this way towards cops and from what I gather from their answers, it has to do with the traditional image of the  “power” of the police. While the police do have coercive powers not enjoyed by ordinary citizens; while they have powers of arrest and the right to invite persons to the station for questioning, these powers should always be used in manner that brings respect to the Force rather than induce fear within members of the population. The police should be respected not feared.

I once read a story of a man who was constantly complaining that his staff showed no respect to him.  He decided to take action. So he went out one day and came back with a sign that read, “"I'm the Boss".

He then taped it to his office door.

Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said.

"Your wife called, she wants her sign back.”

Remember respect cannot be bought or legislated. It has to be earned. Strive to be respected and not feared. Earn respect by what you are and the results of your action. Remember the saying, Reputation is what the world thinks of you; character is what you are. Respect earned is respect due!

Thank You

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