Dear Editor,
It may not come as a surprise to many of us that on Friday, May 23rd, the opposition PNC/APNU will once again prove that their political ambitions far outweigh any genuine sense of patriotism or national duty.

In the face of Venezuela’s outrageous and illegal attempt to make claims over the Essequibo region through sham elections, one would have expected a unified and resolute Guyanese front.

Instead, what we are likely to see from Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton is another disgraceful attempt to score political points while the nation’s sovereignty hangs in the balance. This is the hallmark of poor leadership.

At a time when Guyana is confronting an existential threat, Mr. Norton has already chosen to inject division and dissonance into what should be a clear and unwavering national position.

While he mouthed hollow words of support for Guyana’s territorial integrity, he immediately undermined that same support by tying it to unrelated domestic grievances and political demands.
In doing so, he sent a dangerous message, not only to the Venezuelan regime but also to the international community, that Guyana’s national interests are conditional and negotiable in the eyes of the Opposition.

Make no mistake, Venezuela is watching. So too is the world. They will not distinguish between “the government” and “the people” when determining the strength of our collective position.

Norton’s decision to make support for the country contingent upon recognition of his political role reeks of opportunism and is nothing short of antinational. No credible opposition in a functioning democracy should ever play politics with territorial integrity.

To raise the issue of the Local Government Commission, the tragic death of Adriana Younge, or even the handling of looting under the Terrorism Act, as serious as those matters are, in the same breath as Guyana’s battle to safeguard its borders, is a blatant and cynical conflation.

These matters, important in their own right, must be addressed in separate fora. But to withhold national solidarity in this time of crisis is unconscionable.

The Opposition could have, and should have, expressed their misgivings about governance while standing shoulder to shoulder with the Government of Guyana on this issue.

But their decision to grandstand, to issue ultimatums, and to cloak partisan grievances as patriotic concern is a betrayal of the Guyanese people and a gift to Venezuela’s expansionist ambitions.
It is a dereliction of duty and a moral failure. For Mr. Norton to suggest that Guyanese unity is subject to political negotiation is to trample on the very foundation of nationhood.

At this juncture, we do not need performances, nor do we need conditions, we need clarity, cohesion, and courage, and opposition parliamentarians should use their conscience and stand with the government in any parliamentary provisions on Venezuela.

The time for posturing is over. The Essequibo is ours. And those who cannot stand in definite defence of it should hang their heads in shame.

Sincerely,
(Name and address provided)