–Dr Jagdeo says majority of Venezuelan migrants have Guyanese heritage
–blasts Opposition for ‘narrow’ political view

WITH majority of Venezuelan migrants having Guyanese lineage, Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, has flayed the Opposition for its rejection of the government’s plan to integrate these migrants into the Guyanese society.

During a press conference at Office of the President on Thursday, he responded to a recent press release by Opposition Parliamentarian, Amanza Walton-Desir, who expressed her disproval for the integration plan.

Walton-Desir said: “It would be important for Mr. Todd to explain to the Guyanese people how this objective was formulated because it certainly was not in consultation with the people of Guyana or their duly elected representatives in the National Assembly.”

According to Dr Jagdeo, the release exposes the A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU)’s position.

He said: “Venezuelan migrants is a misnomer for most of those people… they’re Guyanese. When we say ‘Venezuelan migrants’, it’s just a few people of the lot that came back home. These are our people, they have our blood.”

The PPP General Secretary explained that persons are coming back to Guyana because, unlike the past, the nation is no longer experiencing economic hardships, and people could now benefit from immense opportunities.

He said: “We have to extend some help to our own people…”

Dr Jagdeo went on to say: “This kind of racist view that somehow we must not do this because they’re foreign or something like that; I think it’s part of what we’ve spoken about that APNU has a too narrow political view. It’s too caught up in this kind of elitist approach to development…that makes them unsuitable to govern a country like ours that is multi-ethnic and multi-religious. You have to have a broad-based approach.”

He added: “They’re our people, and, therefore, they have to enjoy benefits equally and so we must condemn this [APNU’s comments].”

Additionally, Dr Jagdeo further supported his statements by explaining that government ministries and entities have been recording information when services are offered to the migrants.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Hilton Todd, on March 8, 2024, chaired a meeting of the Multi-Agency Coordinating Committee to address the influx of migrants from Venezuela into Guyana.

According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first committee meeting for the year was attended by the relevant government stakeholders and international partners who collectively set the agenda in principle for the committee to continue its work with regards to providing the necessary humanitarian assistance to those migrants, inclusive of returning Guyanese fleeing the economic hardships in Venezuela.

The minister, in his opening remarks, reminded the committee that the policy of the government remains intact as it relates to support for the migrants from Venezuela.

He noted that the long-term objective is to integrate them into Guyanese society but in the meantime, the respective agencies are tasked with combining resources to provide services in key areas such as healthcare, education, labour, sanitation, shelter, food and clothing for the most vulnerable.