ADAM'S NOTEBOOK | Guyana is literally keeping its enemies close, too close

GEORGETOWN, October 4, 2023 - There is never a dull moment in Guyana. As the older people would say, “If is not one thing is another”. There was a diaspora conference in Washington that attracted the political opposition.

From reports, the conference was a success. The delegates focused on the various indiscretions in Guyana. They spoke about the disadvantages faced by Black Guyanese and they fashioned a motion at the end of the conference. The motion called for sanctions and other appropriate actions against the Guyana government amid reports of corruption and discrimination.

The motion read by Errol English, a senior insurance fraud investigator in New Jersey, also called for the US State Department to probe government officials who are allegedly engaged in bribery and fraud.
Of course, the government rejected the motion on the grounds that it was painting a false impression of Guyana. In short, Prime Minister Mark Phillips who responded to the motion, described it as an unpatriotic attempt by the Opposition to undermine the government’s commitment to the betterment of Guyana.

The conference focused extensively on the discrimination being faced by Blacks in Guyana. There was documented evidence that not a single Black person was considered for an oil block. Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes did extensive work on the award of contracts between 2020 when the Irfaan Ali government took office and today.

It was telling. It appeared that there was hardly a single Black contractor capable of executing projects. More recently contracts went not only to contractors, but also to friends of the government. People who never built a dog kennel secured multi-million-dollar contracts to build schools.

The Black Caucus of the United States Congress had been receiving reports from time to time. Then there was a ripple between the PPP and Democratic Congressional Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Jeffries spoke about racism in Guyana and President Irfaan Ali decided that he, Jeffries, needed to be schooled about the situation in Guyana.

This time around the opposition had a full meeting with the Caucus. The opposition said that it was satisfied with the outcome. At the same time the government was not happy. This would explain the talk about unpatriotic behaviour.

Then there was the news about dozens of Venezuelans landing on the Tuschen foreshore. Venezuelans have been coming to Guyana ever since there was talk about the collapse of the Venezuelan economy. They began to land in the North West.

Before long they were in the city where their presence cannot go unnoticed. They can be seen doing enterprising things such as setting up hotdog stands, opening barbershops and just hustling.
This latest influx has caused Guyanese to worry about the real reason behind the influx.

Guyana is before the International Court of Justice seeking a final resolution to the territorial issue with Venezuela.

Way back in 1899, the border issue was settled by a tripartite commission. The boundaries were delineated back then. The noise about the boundary broke out after one of the judges presiding over the issue died. He had left a note to be opened after he died.

When Guyana was about to attain independence, the noise started again. This led to a Geneva Agreement. The system fashioned by this agreement failed. But Venezuela had already taken a part of Guyana, Ankoko Island, by force. It still holds on to that part of Guyana and this country can do nothing.

Venezuela began to rattle its sabre again when ExxonMobil began to explore offshore Guyana in the area claimed by Venezuela. That country has already towed away ships operating in that part of the Essequibo. So Guyana moved to the International Court of justice. Venezuela objected. It also said that it would ignore the ruling by the court.

That being said, people are now likening the influx of Venezuelans to the Trojan Horse. That is the story about the Greeks invading Troy by using a wooden horse which the Trojans let into the city. The horse contained Greek soldiers.

These soldiers simply rose up in the night when the Trojans were sleeping and in short order, the war was over. Before getting the horse into Troy, the Greeks had laid siege to Troy for ten years. It was a stalemate.

This was a case of willingly letting the enemy into the country. The Trojans did this at their own peril. Venezuela wants two-thirds of Guyana. That country knows that the United Nations insists that all disputes should be settled peacefully.

So, like the Greeks, the Venezuelans are being let into the country. Some believe that soldiers are among the immigrants. Once in, they are free to roam and to settle anywhere.
It could take a few years but the Venezuelans who are settling in Essequibo could be in a position to take that part of the country. And not a bullet needs be fired. They have time on their side, just as the Greeks waited for ten years.

Another school of thought is that over the years, the Venezuelan population could grow to such an extent that the descendants could form a political party. Third generation Venezuelans having been fed the thought by their parents that Essequibo belongs to Venezuela, could easily acquire the prize.

The government may be allowing the Venezuelans to come having planted Justices of the Peace who merely need to have the person establish Guyanese parentage. That is enough to procure an identification card.

The government has not paid any attention to the sleight of hand by Venezuela. However, what you ignore could bite you where the sun doesn’t shine.

People have been talking about Venezuelan migrants breaking into empty houses and setting up shop. If the figures are correct, one in seven people in Guyana, today, is a Venezuelan.
Guyana’s population is about 700,000. There are already 100,000 Venezuelans here.