MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, said Wednesday night that the 2011 National Budget takes steps closer to realizing the vision for Guyana.
She made the observation in her contribution to the continuing debate, as she reviewed the performance of her portfolio in 2010 and its plans for this year. Speaking in the National Assembly, where she addressed a series of related issues, Rodrigues-Birkett said that while Government takes the threat of international narcotics seriously, there is the issue of resources with which it must grapple.
Alluding to the major problem of illegal drugs facing Guyana, she said there will never be enough resources to fight the scourge, partly because of the wide expanse of the unprotected national borders.

QUOTE:“We must not let history dictate our future. We must vow to never again allow any power to manipulate us. We cannot allow borders to be lines of separation and discord…. We all want a better life for our people. We have to find ways of having closer relationships with neighbours.” Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

Making a comparison, the Minister said that, in the United States (U.S.), billions of dollars are being thrown at the problem but still that country has not been able to deal with it in any comprehensive way.
“We have limited resources and, sometimes, Government has to make tough decisions as to whether we will take those resources and build schools, increase pensions and those kinds of things, as opposed to spending it to fight drugs. It is a competition of resources. We will continue to cooperate with other countries [in the fight],” Rodrigues-Birkett pledged.
She announced that, on February 9, Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee will be meeting with the Venezuelans to further discuss cooperation on the drug fight.
Rodrigues-Birkett lauded the establishment, by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), of a Council on Drugs, as part of the efforts at combating the narcotics.
She observed that many countries, both developed and developing, have not recovered from the global financial and economic crisis and that, in 2009, when Guyana recorded positive growth, 11 CARICOM member countries did not.
“Some of these countries are still recovering,” the minister reported.
Noting that food prices are on the rise worldwide, she remarked that Guyana is fortunate to be a net exporter of food.
Rodrigues-Birkett said, on the international scene, the Doha Development Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations remains elusive, to the detriment of those countries that need development. She said countries in Africa and the Pacific are asking for a rethink of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), because they stand to lose if they accept the proposals presently being made by the European Union (EU).
According to her, the African countries have concerns similar to those of Guyana.
She said the progress Guyana has made, over the last years, must be viewed in the context of the challenges on the global front.
PRAGMATIC MANAGEMENT
“Mr. Speaker, in such circumstances, it takes sensible and pragmatic management of the economy for us to not only achieve positive growth in 2010, but also to make the provisions we have made in this budget for all of our people,” Rodrigues-Birkett acknowledged.
She maintained that the progress Guyana has made, over the last budgets, must be viewed in the present context and that the growth and measures mean good management of the economy.
Rodrigues-Birkett said Guyana’s foreign policy continues to be underpinned by the preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity and the promotion of economic and social development.
“Even as we do this, we are mindful of the need for the adjustment to evolving international and regional context marked by globalization, trade and financial liberalization, deepening regional integration and the rise of emerging markets.
“We continue to have a vested interest in the strengthening of multilateralism and the role of small states in global affairs. Our diplomacy continues to be executed in various theatres at the bilateral, regional and global levels and through engagement with our large diaspora,” she assured.
About protection of Guyana’s maritime spaces, Rodrigues-Birkett said that, in May 2009, the Government provided preliminary information to the United Nations Commission on the Limits to the Continental Shelf. “The information was aimed at securing Guyana’s entitlement to an extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and pursuant to Article 76 of UNCLOS – the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Rodrigues-Birkett said.
She continued, “Mr. Speaker, by virtue of that Article, we were required to consult with neighbouring states, which we did. Our exchange with Trinidad and Tobago assisted both of our countries in our individual efforts to strengthen our individual submissions.”
The minister disclosed that both the Governments of Guyana and Venezuela are in receipt of classified information showing “that we were set off by powers to further their own interest and for them to divide us.”
“We must not let history dictate our future. We must vow to never again allow any power to manipulate us. We cannot allow borders to be lines of separation and discord. [There is] commonality [among] Guyana, Venezuela and Suriname. We all want a better life for our people. We have to find ways of having closer relationships with neighbours,” Rodrigues-Birkett urged.