Time for One Caribbean, One Voice

IF ever we needed a united Caribbean with one voice, it’s now. The threat by Venezuela to annex the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone between Colombia and Suriname is a danger at the heart of all Caribbean states.

The leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), who met over the past few days at a summit in Barbados, could not afford to prevaricate, or worse, bow to the brazen aggression of Caracas, principally against one of its founders.

Guyana’s President, Brigadier (rt’d) David Granger, has indicated in his maiden address to his fellow Regional heads that CARICOM’s roots are indeed deep, as he traced the birth of the Caribbean unity movement to 1965:

“It was right here that it all started. Fifty years ago on 4th July, 1965, Antigua’s Vere Bird, Barbados’s Errol Barrow and Guyana’s Forbes Burnham — three busy ‘Bs’ — met here in Bridgetown. Their intuition and initiative led, five months later, to Dickenson Bay which led to the establishment of the Caribbean Free Trade Association which in turn led to Chaguaramas and the creation of the Caribbean Community on 4th July 1973. The rest is history.”

President Granger warned that after fifty years, the Caribbean has to protect itself against domination and disintegration, by collectively supporting principles to safeguard the national independence of member states and their territorial integrity.

President Granger placed the existence of CARICOM in that historic context as he exposed what he described as “an oppressive and obnoxious claim” on our land and sea by Venezuela, Guyana’s neighbour to the west.

Caribbean leaders need no lecture on the nature of that spurious claim which has met, in the past, a stiff back from this Region and periodic condemnation of Venezuela’s aggression against a peacefully developing state.

The border between Guyana and Venezuela was fixed some 116 years ago, and settled finally by an arbitral award. So, today, when Venezuela resurrects the spectre of threat of force against Guyana in prosecution of a legally non-existent claim, it must give rise to collective repudiation from all Caribbean states. A threat against one state must be a threat against all. Today, CARICOM must exhort, in a common refrain: “One for all, all for one”.

We expect nothing less than full solidarity for Guyana! At the same time, we congratulate President David Granger for his inaugural speech at a CARICOM summit, and for standing tall like a true soldier for Guyana. You made us proud, Sir!

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