PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, is currently on a State visit to the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The President was accompanied by First Lady Arya Ali and First son Zayd. Also on the delegation are Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd; Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha and Minister of Trade and Tourism, Oneidge Waldron.

Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago have much in common. Both countries are former British colonies which gained political independence within years of each other. Guyana attained political independence in May 1966, four years after Trinidad and Tobago even though Guyana attained Republican status in February 1970, some six years earlier than Trinidad and Tobago.

Culturally, both Guyana and Trinidad share a number of similarities in terms of ethnic diversity with significant Indian and Black populations.

It is, therefore, natural for the two countries to forge closer relations both at the bilateral and at the broader regional and hemispheric levels. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed which seeks, among other things, to enhance food security in the region and to optimise the resources of the two countries to improve the standard of living of the people of the two countries.

Unlike Guyana, which is a relatively new kid on the petroleum block, Trinidad and Tobago benefitted from oil revenues several decades ago which gave it an added advantage in terms of developmental financing. The country was able to benefit from cheap energy which gave it a comparative advantage in terms of manufacturing, trade and commerce. Guyana, at one stage was forced to borrow heavily from Trinidad and Tobago and for that matter several other nations and international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. One consequence of that reckless borrowing was an unsustainable debt burden which became literally a windmill around the necks of the Guyanese people. The problem was further compounded by undemocratic and dictatorial rule, incompetence, discriminatory policies and bad governance on the part of the then PNC administration.

Several Guyanese sought refuge in Trinidad and Tobago. The situation had reached a point where Guyanese travelling to the Piarco airport were given differential treatment with a view to preventing them from entering the country illegally.

Today, all of that has changed. Guyana, like Trinidad, is a petroleum state and it is only natural for these two countries, along with Suriname, to pool their resources and expertise to optimise the returns from oil and gas for the benefit of their respective populations.

According to President Ali, the engagements with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and other senior government officials are aimed at advancing bilateral co-operation on energy, food security and climate change, among several other areas.

“What we are working on is an agenda through which we can build a sustainable pathway that would bring prosperity and opportunities that will advance the interest of the people of both Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. We are not here to create an environment in which one party see themselves as winners,” President Ali said.

While energy, tourism and climate do feature high on the agenda, the issue of food security has been a priority area for President Ali, who currently has the lead role in agricultural development and food security. Indeed, the President has displayed a passion for food security and has made his position clear that when it comes to food security in the region, time is of the essence. There is no luxury of time, he said, and pointed out that while it is possible to have the money, such money means little if there is no food.