TODAY marks the start of a brand-new year. New year greetings to all readers of the Guyana Chronicle and special greetings to those who read this column.

To those who find solemnity on January 1, may the peace of God reign in your hearts. The seventh day of Kwanzaa is also celebrated on January 1. The principle of Imani or Faith is expressed and not just celebrated. Imani highlights self-belief, community and positive change. On January 1, the final candle on the Kinara concludes with faith. People are called to embrace optimism, planning for, and belief in a positive future.

The day culminates the seven days of reflection/expression/celebration with a grand Big Moma’s Style festive potluck called Karamu that is open to all. May the principles of Kikombe Cha Umoja (unity and togetherness) be embraced all year long.
2024 gifts us 365 brand-new mornings and evenings. This incipient cosmological Gregorian journey around the sun presents new opportunities and possibilities unknown to mankind, but we must embrace it with optimism.

That said, this is an opportune time to whip out and dust off my crystal ball with its tantalising glow of accuracy. I am well placed to make audaciously accurate predictions. Next year December, I invite you to revisit this space and marvel in awe of my grand wizardry or perhaps sharp divine inspiration.

I was boasting to a family member of the foretelling power of my crystal ball and my ability to make laser, pinpointedly accurate predictions. So, he swiftly shot a question: how many politicians will it take to change a light bulb?

My crystal ball does not miss a beat, the answer was instantaneous and accurate, “One to promise a brighter future and the rest to screw it up.” We turned briefly to get a sip of water, politicians were in the room, my crystal ball went missing; I really should’ve seen it coming.

So, without the benefit of a crystal ball I am left with the power of review. Two intriguing events of the week come to mind. The British gunboat that sailed into Guyana and Burke’s Brooklyn Brief.

Despite unreserved support from the opposition in Guyana, there are some who believe that the Argyle Declaration was a mistake; Guyana should not have participated. Statements out of Brazil and other quarters seem, on its surface, to give credence to the notion that the very canon of Argyle gave diplomatic ammunition to Maduro.

The corollary to that is that the presence of a British Warship in Guyana’s waters violates the Argyle principles.
The thing about this line of argument assumes that we are dealing with a rational leader who has been an honest, diplomatic trader. He is not, Maduro is akin to a brazen highway robber, a high-sea pirate.

While I think that the presence of the ship is not in and of itself a contributor to de-escalation of tensions, by the same token, it is also not sufficient to slap it with escalation labels. The same voices who are telling Guyana not to entertain a tangible British symbol of international support, have not asked Venezuela to halt its illegal presidential decree that establishes offices for immigration, economic planning, exploration and general administration of Essequibo. Venezuela continues to dedicate budgetary and other resources towards its Essequibo decree.

That is continued aggression for which Brazil and others should likewise reprimand. Guyana’s commitment made at Argyle is still intact, there is none, nor has there ever been, an appetite in Guyana to militarily attack Venezuela. This has been a fixture of Guyana’s commitment ever since this baseless claim arose.

However, a complete lack of desire to attack and an oath to defend should never be equated with escalation of tensions. Guyana has been so docile with any form of though war games lingo, so much so, that the government has been bashed locally for not doing anything to respond to the Venezuelan aggression and incursion.

Now for the first time, Guyana receives international support through the presence of physical assets on our soil and suddenly we are being red-flagged for threatening the zone of peace. The British support is part of our oath to defend the state that gave us birth.

We will end with a quick consideration of the Burke saga. In the past, I worked with the Ministry of Home Affairs; that experience taught me that the Government of Guyana has a network of active security monitoring and enforcement cooperation agreements with many states around the world, some bilateral, some multilateral. Our strongest agreements and enforcement mechanisms are with the USA.

One would think that the Government of Guyana would’ve utilised advice through these channels before attempting to serve Mr. Burke with a notice of criminal proceedings. As I understand it, from a layman’s perspective, serving such a notice is the equivalent of delivering a mail by courier with the requisite proof of delivery.

Except, in this case, the delivery personnel must be from a prescribed agency of the Government of Guyana, instead of a commercial courier. Of course, the issue has been sensationalised fourfold due to the social media and political effects attached to it.

I am told that such deliveries are legal in the US, even if done by a foreign government-controlled entity. There are legal opinions (which I’m sure will become court proceedings) being traded on both sides of the Atlantic; we await their outcomes.