Unsavoury Action

VENEZUELA’S aggression and its rude bullying of Guyana under the dark cloud of its claim on the border in the Essequibo, marks a disappointing shift from cooperation and good-neighbour relations under its former President Hugo Chavez, to downright hostility under current President Nicolas Maduro.

Guyana today faces its Venezuela front with a two-pronged challenge: first as a refuge for fleeing Venezuelans escaping the devastating economic crisis in their country, and on top of that, an escalation of tension around the border issue. President Maduro adamantly refuses to cooperate on the border case, rejecting Guyana’s move to have the matter settled at the International Court of Justice.
Scores of Venezuelans are taking refuge in border villages within Guyana, and there are reports of criminal gangs from Venezuela raiding and robbing Guyanese in the border regions. Guyana shows compassion and kindness to struggling Venezuelans fleeing their homeland, welcoming them with open arms and helping them make a living in Guyana. Guyanese remember how during the 28-year dictatorship under the People’s National Congress (PNC) regime, many families fled to Venezuela. Today, many of them are returning to Guyana, and Guyanese are returning the favour by reaching out to poverty-stricken Venezuelans and caring for them with kindness and love.

At the political level, however, things are different due to unsavoury actions by the Venezuelan Government. The Guyana Government issued a statement over the weekend to reject Venezuela’s apprehension of two Guyanese fishing boats in the Waini region. Venezuela detained the two fishing vessels with the Guyanese on board. In an urgent statement, the Guyana Government said that “Guyana condemns in the strongest possible terms this wanton act of aggression by the Venezuelan armed forces against Guyana and Guyanese citizens. This Venezuelan action amounts to an interference with the sovereign rights of Guyana in its Exclusive Economic Zone, contrary to international law. It is noted that this latest hostility follows closely on the heels of a Decree recently issued by President Nicolas Maduro which purports to establish ‘a new maritime territory of Venezuela called Territory for the Development of the Atlantic Façade’, encompassing Guyana’s territorial waters, EEZ and continental shelf, as well as its land territory west of the Essequibo River. Guyana has emphatically condemned this Venezuelan Decree as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and sovereign rights, and of fundamental rules of international law.”

President Ali resorted to a sombre national address on January 9 last after the Venezuelan Head of State issued the arbitrary decree concerning its claim on Guyana’s territory. President Ali said that Guyana is “…alerting the International Community, including our sister-states in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and in the Americas of the danger to international peace and security that is being threatened by … the Venezuela decree which violates fundamental principles of international law.”
Venezuela’s action is without doubt an act of aggression against a peaceful state that shares its border. No country should stand by and allow Venezuela to apprehend and hold captive citizens of its neighbouring State and all peace-loving nations in a united effort should step in and issue a strong warning to Maduro for his country’s violation of international law.

This region of the Atlantic Ocean has historically always been a peaceful region, with the nations bordering the Ocean and each other, Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana and Venezuela co-existing and cooperating well since their independence. Even with strong Brazil sharing borders with these countries, the region was always able to maintain peaceful international relations. Even when countries suffer internal political and socioeconomic angst, they help and stand with each other. Venezuela and Guyana were able to cooperate through the UN Good Offices model to keep the border claim on a peaceful pact. However, of recent, President Maduro seems to be raising the temperature on the situation, and it is not a good sign at all.

Suddenly, good relations and peaceful neighbourliness are up in the air and under threat, as Venezuela’s Maduro seeks to inject a new tone of military aggression against peaceful Guyana.

It should be noted that this aggression is coming at a time when the International Court of Justice ICJ is deals with the border issue, a case Venezuela has been trying to avoid at all cost for obvious reasons.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.