He last week said many of the things happening in Guyana today could lead to a gradual slide into chaos if some of the trends are not arrested.

He said the country must never allow enclaves for criminals, noting that in Jamaica, police and soldiers cannot go into some communities controlled by guns.

It would be "a recipe for disaster" if criminals are to be the new heroes for young children, and not the teachers, policemen, soldiers, public servants and pilots, he said.

His caution came in the feature address at the Annual Officers' Conference of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Thursday in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief.

The audience included Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Rudy Insanally; Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Ronald Gajraj; Secretary to the Defence Board, Dr. Roger Luncheon and Heads of the Police, Fire and Prison Services; Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Michael Atherly, and senior and junior officers of the Army. .

President Jagdeo observed that whenever the border issue and the territorial integrity of the country come up, there are always strong feelings on the part of every single Guyanese.

But he said Guyanese are destroying the country from within, adding, "sometimes I think those forces that are opposed to us keep on smiling that we're doing the job."

He said the annual officers conference was important as it allowed for interaction and discussion on the Administration's intentions for the development of the military and addressing the defence sector in the short-term.

Mr. Jagdeo said it also allowed him the opportunity to share with the officers some of his feelings on various matters that are important, at least in the form of giving context to defence development and defence strategy, and in terms of international development, how he views the political and economic situation in the country evolving.

But he lamented that Thursday's setting with the media present was not opportune, as he expressed the desire to meet "just with the officers of the Guyana Defence Force and maybe the invitees who were present, away from the media."

He said he could not say many of the things he would have wanted to because he would not like that to be distorted in the media.

President Jagdeo referred to changes in the Constitution to the extent that the Gender and Equity; Human Rights; Indigenous; Ethnic Relations; Rights of the Child, and Public Procurement commissions are to be established to lend weight to the rights enshrined in the Constitution but never enforced.

He explained that for the commissions to be constituted both the Government and the Opposition must agree, meaning that there has to be a two-thirds majority support of the members of the National Assembly.

He remarked that "many people do not pay attention to this because the debate that is going on in the society today is stuck at the composition of the sectoral committees, and we forget that all of these commissions have to be put in place."

He noted that the Government in its effort to be all-inclusive, has also agreed that the Service Commissions - Police, Teaching, Public Service and the Judicial Service - will all have a parliamentary input, adding that the Government can settle the issue "tomorrow" but is stalled because of the constitutional requirement of two-thirds majority support in the National Assembly.