ON Saturday, there was high drama and an operation carried out by the US to detain and arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is wanted by the US for cocaine trafficking and smuggling, and illegal weapons trading.
The operation was successful, resulting in the capture of Maduro and his wife. They were flown to the US, where they will be later charged and remanded.
The US operation was hailed largely in certain sections of the Venezuelan population and condemned in others. It yielded no casualties for the US, but the death toll was climbing for the Venezuelan military, which had put up resistance.
President Donald Trump, speaking to the press yesterday, said that Maduro had been given several other chances, but his chances had run out. He said that the US would seek to administer the Bolivarian Republic until its transition. He praised the smoothness of the operation and said that the people’s interest would be guaranteed first and foremost.
At home, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said Guyana was monitoring the US action in Venezuela, stating that he had met early yesterday morning with the Defence Board, the national-security architecture, regional commanders and other senior security officials, amid the ongoing situation in Venezuela.
He later reported that Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, is in Region One engaging Guyana Defence Force troops and ranks of the Guyana Police Force operating in border communities, in the light of recent developments in Venezuela.
The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and the People’s National Congress Reform released a slew of statements, both by MPs and the parties, calling for swift and strategic government action and an urgent plan to deal with any eventuality of a possible retaliation for Guyana.
They also called for a quick response to set up possible humanitarian camps and the processing of persons fleeing Venezuela.
Firstly, the government must be cautious and strategic with the information it receives and releases to the Guyanese public at this time. It must assess the situation with Venezuela carefully and stay far from getting itself in the mix of the conflict in Venezuela.
It must reiterate that it played no role in the US intervention and interference in Venezuela, but will protect its interests and borders at all costs.
The government has to take the stance that even though it has a border controversy with Venezuela, its hands are clean, as it respects both the people and the country.
It is even more essential that Guyana looks within and fortifies the system to protect its own territory and borders. It is not in Guyana’s interests for the government to speak out at this premature and early juncture, as other CARICOM, South American and international countries have done. It is better to be silently observant with information one is procuring than to speak openly and foolishly to Tom, Dick and Harry when one has ascertained the facts or truth about the move.
Secondly, the opposition parties in Guyana are quick to make flimsy proposals on this, but the final call rests with the government and the President.
Some of the proposals are not new and many of them were expected, but the ones coming from WIN are really unique, for the simple reason that the party is trying hard to sound seriously mature.
No real thought or intellectual stimulus went into the statements, or instead of criticising the government, they should have supported it.
For the record, the government has a good grasp of all of the immediate risks that could fall on Guyana. Yet, Guyana is in a better and more secure place from a security standpoint more than ever at this time.
The government is not acting alone but with the full support of the military. WIN and the PNC are trying to scare people by practising opportunistic politics, again using the issue to get political clout. There is no opposition leader to have meaningful consultations with and there is no need for an urgent meeting on the US operations in Venezuela.
Respectfully, the meetings will come at the appropriate time when the nation is briefed fully by the government.
WIN and the PNC will continue to blow hot air over the next few days. Surely, they must not act as if the event that occurred in Venezuela has surprised them and it is an event. Rather, what WIN and the PNC should know is that it is a lengthy process and must be decided by the Venezuelan people which way they go from here.
In politics, there is a time and place for everything. They must learn their place.
The problem is that Guyana’s opposition is reactionary and practises reactionary politics. The current government does not believe in reactionary politics and therefore practises preparatory politics and the politics of decisiveness.
The simple truth is, Guyana was prepared long before yesterday’s incident took place.
Thirdly, Guyana stands committed to upholding international law and justice.
It is ready to defend its sovereignty via the use of peace, dialogue and all other forms of protection that exist under the law.
What happened in Venezuela did not have to happen that way, but was bound to happen because countries that have dictators in power, frustrating the will of the people, especially in South America and Africa, run the risk of being challenged and supplanted by more democratic models and other people-centred governments. Maduro was a dictator and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Finally, Guyana is a small nation, but it never misses a chance to demonstrate its knowledge of how to avert disasters and security threats like these.
It will always listen keenly with its ears to hear people on the ground. It is not swift to action when the situation does not require it. It is cool and calm, knowing that it is prepared for anything that comes its way.
Internally, Guyana has already set systems in train to deal with any eventuality and is watching. There is no room for complacency, but there is similarly no rush for action which requires sober heads.
We should never expect that this moment marks the end of challenges and struggles with Venezuela. It doesn’t. The US action in Venezuela did not totally change the trend or future of geopolitics and security. It altered the fate of the nation and caused its course.
Maduro is gone, but his government remains entrenched in Venezuela, which still claims Essequibo. What is needed now is for Guyana to contribute to the discourse on how to avoid the rise of other dictatorships in this part of the region, and how to assist with the transition to a democracy and civilian government run by the Venezuelans.
Guyana must guide her sister in South America down the road to respect for international law and justice. Guyana must use the information it gathers to help the Venezuelan people and assist them in any way possible, whilst respecting its own territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Guyana sees this moment, though it was not totally done according to international law and regulations, as a chance to stand back, watch and act responsibly and wisely.