The deployment of ranks from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to sweep streets and clear drains across Georgetown and other parts of the country has drawn growing concern, with observers questioning the diversion of military personnel from their core national security responsibilities amid deepening issues in public administration.
In a statement issued April 11, the GDF said its ranks “turned out in strong numbers” to support a government-led national clean-up campaign, with soldiers engaged in clearing drains, removing debris, and restoring public spaces. Senior officials, including President Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, and Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, were highlighted as participating.
But observers say the exercise represents a fundamental misapplication of the military’s role.
“Not What Soldiers Are Trained For”
The GDF’s own doctrine outlines its primary responsibilities as territorial defence, border security, search and rescue, disaster response, maritime security, and national defence support operations. Routine sanitation work, observers stress, is not among them.
“This is not what soldiers are trained for,” one governance analyst said. “You don’t take a force tasked with defending sovereignty and assign it to pick up garbage because civilian systems are failing.”
Others described the move as “a misuse of highly trained personnel” and “a visible sign of institutional breakdown.”
City Hall ‘Financially Suffocated’
Observers have linked the situation directly to what they describe as the systematic weakening of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), the body legally responsible for sanitation under the Municipal and District Councils Act (Chapter 28:01).
In an interview with Village Voice News, City Councillor ret’d Lt. Col. Lelon Saul said the Council simply does not have the revenue base to meet its legal responsibilities.
“Under the present construct and capacity to earn, the City Council will [be] unable to do that,” he said.
He explained that the council generates approximately G$2 billion annually—about G$10 billion over five years—compared to more than G$40 billion the central government says it has spent over the same period.
Saul further noted that the city’s tax system remains anchored to a 1997 valuation, severely limiting revenue generation.
“The average tax for residential property in East Ruimveldt is about $6,000 per year,” he said, adding that with such limited income the Council is still expected to manage waste collection, repair roads, maintain community spaces, provide street lighting, and deliver broader public and environmental services.
Observers argue that this financial imbalance has effectively crippled City Hall’s ability to hire and retain sanitation workers, creating the very conditions now being filled by the military.
“The council is being set up to fail,” one municipal affairs observer said. “Then the government steps in with soldiers to do the job. That is not support—it is substitution.”
Borders Porous, Threats Mounting
The redeployment of soldiers to urban clean-up duties comes, observers say, at a time when national security challenges are intensifying.
Guyana continues to face a high-stakes border controversy with Venezuela, alongside ongoing sensitivities with Suriname. Meanwhile, illegal crossings by foreign garimpeiros continue to raise concerns about the pillaging of natural resources and environmental degradation.
In hinterland communities, residents have reported increasing threats from armed gangs—incidents of robbery, violence, and intimidation that have forced some to abandon their lands and flee to the coast for safety.
“While soldiers are sweeping streets in Georgetown, the borders remain porous,” one security commentator said. “That is where the country’s real vulnerabilities lie.”
Underutilised Skills, Neglected Priorities
Observers also point to what they see as a broader pattern of underutilisation within the Defence Force.
Highly trained personnel—equipped for engineering works, aviation support, medical evacuation, and disaster response—are instead being assigned to basic sanitation tasks requiring no specialised military training.
At the same time, questions have been raised about the condition of some military facilities, with observers noting that certain compounds and buildings appear to be in need of maintenance and repair.
“You are pulling soldiers away from their core duties and placing them in roles that do not justify their training,” one former officer said. “It is inefficient and undermines readiness.”
A Manufactured Crisis?
Observers further argue that the environmental situation in Georgetown and other parts of the country is not accidental, but the result of policy decisions.
They describe the crisis as “man-made,” stemming from what they say is the government’s failure—or unwillingness—to understand and support local government systems.
“Local government is essential to democracy,” one political analyst said. “When you financially constrain it, block its ability to expand its revenue base, and then assume its functions, you are centralising power.”
Some have warned that such practices reflect troubling governance trends, where local democratic institutions are weakened rather than strengthened.
Blurring Civil-Military Lines
While the GDF has framed its involvement as part of its commitment to national development and community engagement, observers caution that sustained participation in routine civilian functions—particularly those tied to political initiatives—risks eroding the professional and apolitical character of the military.
“This is how lines get blurred,” one analyst warned. “Today it is cleaning streets. Tomorrow it could be something else.”
A Growing Debate
