IN the first quarter of the 21st century, the most memorable events which occurred in Guyana were the discovery of large deposits of oil in Guyana’s territory with the promise of metamorphosing Guyana into a well-endowed first world country;  the final affirmation of democracy and the democratic culture in Guyana;  and lastly, the exchange of visits of President Dr Irfaan Ali of Guyana and President Chandrikapersad Santhoki of Suriname, which revolutionised relations between their two countries.  From our perspective, Suriname had also had a similar experience in its first quarter of the 21st century.

In this offering, we shall focus on the presidential visits and the deepening of Suriname/Guyana relations.  Unfortunately, this could be done only in a very constricted way since our allotted space does not permit comprehensive coverage  of the details that such relations encapsulate. Yet, we hope to say enough to convey the weight and importance of them.

President Santhoki and his brilliant Foreign Minister Dr Albert Ramdin have proved themselves able diplomats and have not only strengthened relations with Guyana to the highest pinnacle ever reached, but have secured  many important  gains for  Suriname on every front- social, economic and political- and  what they achieved in three days would normally take many months.  President Ali, on his part, always ensured that there was a synthesis of Guyana’s and Suriname’s interests.

The presidential discussions took place on the bases of the reports made by the various sub-committees of the Guyana-Suriname Strategic Dialogue Cooperation Platform (SDGP).  They reported on the collaboration and coordination initiatives in foreign policy coordination and political dialogue;the environment;  security;  health; infrastructure and transportation;  agriculture;  investment and trade;  and enhancement of the private sector.  The Presidents further agreed to initiate discussions between their Ministers responsible for Legal Affairs towards the conclusion of a mutual legal assistance agreement and an extradition agreement.

They were committed to the Inter-Guiana Games and the Inter-Guiana Cultural Festivals and collaboration between the universities, since these increased people-to-people contact.
The Presidents committed themselves to close cooperation in their oil and gas industries to take advantage of avoidance of duplication in areas of infrastructure;  to facilitate the production of electrical energy from natural gas;  to promote manufacturing and creation of petrochemical  industries, as well as refining from natural gas resources such as bauxite;  and the exportation of surplus, clean electrical energy.Of topical importance as oil and gas is the protection of democracy in Suriname and Guyana and in the Region as a whole.  The Presidents, therefore, underscored the need for the Region to work collectively and continuously, guided by the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society,  to strengthen and safeguard democratic governance and to strenuously condemn political violence.

The menu of programmes and activities outlined above are taken from the joint communique issued by the two Presidents on the conclusion of the official visit of President Santhoki.
It would be useful to explain in greater detail the various programmes agreed by the Presidents so that the public would know their complexities and impacts, but space would permit mention of only one or two as examples.  Our first example is the bridge over the Corentyne River.  President Ali gives its raison d’etre as “Once constructed, the bridge would serve as a permanent link between the peoples of Suriname and Guyana and would be of enormous benefits to the tourism, transportation and trade sectors.”  The building of the bridge would involve a plethora of other activities such as advertising for contractors, engaging various consultants, studying reports, due diligence of persons contracted to execute certain functions, mobilising building materials, etc.  And the managers have to be continually alert to avoid any slippage of time. All papers, plans and so on have to be vetted and agreed upon by both sides.

In addition to the areas of cooperation in the oil and gas industry mentioned above, there are a large number of other areas of continuous cooperation such as marketing, strategies in negotiation with the oil companies, training of locals, local content legislation and execution to ensure that  the people of Suriname and Guyana accrue maximum benefits from employment and ancillary spending such as supply of goods and services. Then there are the Sovereign Wealth Funds which have to evolve a model which would be transparent,  win the trust of the populations that there would be no corruption or theft of funds and that the populations would be fully aware of how funds are spent.  Both Suriname and Guyana would have to work together to get the best solution.

Guyana became British only in 1815, but before then, Suriname and Guyana were the same country as contiguous Dutch colonies.  In other words, Guyana and Suriname have been longer one country than they have been two.  And this common identity surfaces in many ways: Sranam Tongo is an English Creole and could quickly be learnt by any Guyanese in a few months;  Sranami Hindi is spoken and understood in both countries;  Guyana used the Civil Law which Suriname uses until it was replaced by the English Common Law in 1918, but the legal assumptions remain largely the same;  the thought processes and ways of life of both countries are much the same.  No two countries in the world are closer than Suriname and Guyana and this familial instinct was shown when, between the 1960s and 1980s, Suriname generously accepted tens of thousands of Guyanese immigrants and kept supplying Guyana with essential food items such as wheaten flour during those years.  This opportunity of regaining our oneness offered by the various agreements made by our two Presidents should be seized with alacrity since the execution of those agreements would more quickly usher in the good life.