Venezuela’s plight

GUYANA is approximately 214,000 square kilometres. It’s a fairly small country inhabited by just about 773,303 citizens (as recorded by the World Bank for 2016). According to that same report, Guyana’s western neighbour, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is about 916,445 square kilometres, inhibited by 31.57 million people.

Buzzing for some time now locally is Venezuela’s claim for about two-thirds of Guyana’s land- a large part of the Essequibo- and most of its maritime zone. Not only does this seek to take away most of Guyana’s landmass, but also all of the deposits of gold and other precious minerals, the pristine rainforests and all other wondrous natural resources encompassed.

For a nation like Guyana which is seeking to transform itself, this would effectively stymie its development. This claim is not new though, in fact it dates back to the nineteenth century.

For years before gaining independence, Guyana (then British Guiana) enjoyed cordial relations with its western neighbour but everything changed in 1830 when Venezuela began disputing the border between the two nations.

Seeking to address the situation as just as possible, the Treaty of Washington was signed in 1897 between Great Britain (which was governing British Guiana) and Venezuela to set up an Arbitral Tribunal that would produce a border award that was a “full, perfect and final settlement”.

Both parties were equally represented on this Tribunal when it was set up in 1898 and the following year the Tribunal made the award, describing the boundary in detail and the process of settlement had been initiated. Commissioners had been appointed to both sides to survey the area of the boundary and by 1905, the agreement was accepted. So, the issue of the border “dispute” was settled and hopefully left in the 19th century.

That was not the case, however. On the brink of independence in 1962, British Guiana was again faced with a border “controversy” from Venezuela- which had declared the 1899 award as null and void. It seems ludicrous that just a few decades before, Venezuela agreed to the award but was now seeking to dispute it again.

The Geneva Agreement was signed between the governments of Venezuela, Great Britain and British Guiana in 1966 to seek a “satisfactory solution for the practical settlement of the controversy…” by virtue of setting up another mixed commission.

This, however, was largely unsuccessful and the matter was taken to the United Nations, in 1982, for a decision to be made by the Secretary-General. In the following years, the Good Officer process was touted as the way of settling the controversy but even this was unsuccessful. In 2015, the same time when a US oil giant announced large oil finds offshore Guyana, Venezuela became aggressive and the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro claimed almost all of Guyana’s maritime zone.

Venezuela’s fallible attempts to acquire Guyana’s land are being put to the test at the International Court Justice (ICJ) presently, after Guyana filed an application for a final and binding settlement to Venezuela’s territorial claim. Even now, in the hands of the international law again, Venezuela has voiced recently that it may not recognise the ruling.

But while Venezuela lusts after Guyana’s land and resources, its citizens continue to suffer from the acute economic austerity which is being faced by the Spanish-speaking nation.

On the grassroots, humanitarian level, the issue at hand is made more complex because of the bigger picture of the ensuing humanitarian crisis fueled by Venezuela’s political and economic instabilities. This bigger picture is made up of thousands of smaller images.

Economic mismanagement had led to high inflation and stark levels of poverty and malnutrition and according to the Washington Post, nearly one million Venezuelans have left the nation over the past two years to escape these conditions.

It’s not only worrisome that there is an exodus of Venezuelans but their reasons for leaving their homeland. Venezuelans- women, children, men and families- have been trickling into neighbouring countries- Some to find a livelihood, some to get medical assistance and some for just a better life.

And many, out of sheer hopelessness, have entered other countries illegally and Guyana has seen this firsthand. It might be a violation of the law, but how do you punish these people for their helplessness?

From all accounts, it seems clear as day that Venezuela’s contention is null and void and Guyana will be able to enjoy sovereignty of its entire landmass without outside aggression. But what Venezuela should focus on, is improving the lives of its citizens that are suffering unnecessarily. As robust as they are in pursuing Guyana’s territory, so too should the Venezuelan government be with its people. Better must come.

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