CHAPTER 1
THE COLONIAL HERITAGE: 1878 - 1964
1. BACKGROUND
The young state of Guyana has a very short military, running only from independence in May 1966 to the present time. Having been a colony first of the Dutch, then the French and finally the British for over three and a half centuries, there was always an expatriate military presence - an indispensable feature of any colonial regime based on exploitation and oppression. The earliest attempts to raise armies from among the subject races in Guyana came from the British. Imperialism established indigenous military units in the Caribbean nearly two centuries ago to keep control of the local populace. Alarmed at the successes of the revolts of black slaves in Saint Domingue after the French Revolution, fearful of similar slave uprisings in British Territories and seeing its forces weakened by the heavy casualties (among the whites) from tropical diseases such as Yellow Fever, the British Government first created the West India Regiments of troops in 1795. Recruited from free negroes and slaves purchased for that purpose. The earliest regiments were commanded by White NCOs and Officers. The primary role of these units was clearly, the repression of the working population of coloured people and the maintenance of white domination of the economy. The garrisons set up throughout the Caribbean were insufficient for resistance to external invasion but were quite adequate for internal repression.
and for National Defence. Even during our regular service, commanders operating close to co-operatives must visit them regularly, discuss their problems and give all possible guidance and assistance to their efforts. To carry out these five tasks properly we must work hard and resolutely and resist our historical enemies by the following means: (a) Repudiating the doctrines of capitalism, self-indulgence and economic oppression and proclaiming co-operative socialism. (b) Uniting the officers and then of the GDF with the broad masses of people of Guyana so that we become a genuine People's Army. (c) Supporting the government to the end and implementing their policies un-hestitatingly. Without the Guyana Defence Force the people of Guyana will be left exposed to the on-slaught of foreign predators, local exploitative organisations and subversion. Without the support of the Guyanese People the GDF will perish. We have a sacred duty to perform in this country. We must be a People's Army!
