WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT UPSET WITH VENEZUELA? by Raphael Trotman

Of all the things that the Government of Guyana could be expressing outrage at, they have decided to register a protest over Venezuela’s decision to donate food and supplies to the people of Buxton. Once again these goodly people of Buxton are caught up in a political game which they did not invite on themselves. Once before they were caught in a tense diplomatic incident which almost led to the deployment of US troops in the village when the US Embassy’s Regional Security Officer was kidnapped in what was dubbed the “Lesniak affair”. Today it is the food affair. The donation by the Venezuelan Embassy was of food stuff and targeted specifically at displaced Buxton farmers who are unable to access their farm lands.

There is hypocrisy on all sides. This is the same government that has recently misled the nation regarding the facts surrounding the purchase of helicopters; that has declared Buxton to be the venomous nest of all the criminals in Guyana and has failed to deliver any criminals after launching Operation Restore Order; that has shielded Ministers of the Government from prosecution for public disorder; that has been less than honest about the reason why there has been no enquiry into the death of Walter Rodney; that has proclaimed that there is no evidence of corruption or discrimination and marginalization in Guyana; and that has proclaimed that GPL is in good shape and is not in need of an investigation. This is the pot calling the kettle black.

The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was obviously insensitive, and deliberately provocative, in making a donation to the people of Buxton without first informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is so because of the known security complexities that exists both between our two states, and with regard to Buxton itself. But was this gift such a serious breach of protocol after all, or is it that the Government of Guyana is more embarrassed that a foreign government is providing aid which it refuses to offer to its own citizens? Venezuela has been doling out aid and assistance all over South America and even in the United States where it has run a successful programme through the Venezuelan State owned oil company CITGO, which provides heating fuel to underprivileged people of America every winter. In fact, after rampant poverty and social inequality were exposed by Hurricane Katrina there is absolutely nothing that the US government can and will do to stop the programme. An elderly African-American woman who benefited from the CITGO programme says in a testimonial on their website “Until this program came along, I was using my gas stove and oven to heat my house. The fuel oil I'll get through CITGO and Catholic Charities will be a big savings. It'll tide me over for the rest of the winter."

Where there are underprivileged people with real needs, others will step in either with purely altruistic motives, or with some hidden agenda. Every day, I see different Embassies and their associated agencies giving aid and assistance to NGOs, individuals, and to Government agencies without a murmur from our Government. Foreign governments are helping with the reintegration of deportees to society, the making of traffic signs, and the establishment of cold storage facilities for big businesses without any fuss from the Guyana government. The big question then to be asked is what is it about the Venezuelan gift that has so upset the Jagdeo government? It must be that this gift will highlight the suffering of the Buxtonian people in an international way that will drive home the point that Guyana’s security dilemma is caught up in poverty, ethnic cleavages and insecurities, a bad system of governance that allows the perpetuation of these, and of bad governance itself.

Anyone who has walked the streets and dams of Buxton would know what a besieged community feels like. On a recent visit I remarked that it is the closest that I personally have come to a community that is subdued and lifeless. There was dead quiet, no dogs barking, no children playing in the streets, no music or cricket on the radio to be heard- just silence and an army vehicle with ranks filming every step members of our team took. Can you image meeting a 32 year old resident of the community, whose house was no more than a twenty minute walk from the railway embankment road and he has never had running water in the home he grew up in and still lives in today!

The people of Buxton deserve far more than handouts of food and if some friends come along and offer it to them, they are quite entitled to accept the relief. This intervention by the Venezuelan government has embarrassed the Government of Guyana because it has exposed several facts including, that there is a genuine need within the Buxton/Friendship communities, and that the heavy presence of the military and the bulldozing of the backlands and the compensation of a few hundred dollars for bearing plants is suffocating the lives of the people there. What the Government is doing is killing the spirit of a proud, capable, and strong community. Instead of complaining, they should be embarrassed into leading the way.

The Venezuelan government puts up no pretense of its obvious intentions to displace the United States’ influence in this Hemisphere, and we all have to guard against receiving “gift horses” from any nation that could someday come alive and run rampant through our state. The cold war may be over but there is the growing influence of Venezuela seeking to act as a countervailing force against the United States of America. I have often cautioned that if we are ignored by the Western States for meeting our security and social needs then others will quickly fill the vacuum. The words of the Venezuelan Ambassador as reported in one newspaper sums up his Government’s intentions thus: “Our support does not always have to be food, we can provide things to help you produce and help in the social development of the people”.

Our advantage of being the only English Speaking nation with a small population occupying natural wealth of immeasurable value, will make us a pawn in this latest battle for influence and control of scarce resources such as oil and water.
However, because we have no discernable Foreign Policy doctrine governing our relations with Venezuela and other neighbours, this government has left itself exposed for these interventions to be made. For many years members of the Opposition have been pressing the Government of Guyana to adumbrate in precise terms what is the official policy towards Venezuela. We seem to prefer to operate in a holding pattern by not wanting to enrage our neighbour even in the face of serious transgressions such as when Persram Persaud was shot in the Cuyuni River two years ago and two dredges were recently blown up. It is always one of playing things down. This may explain for example why no official claim was made for compensation for the family of Persram Persaud or the dredge owners.

I for one am very suspicious of Venezuela’s motives and conduct towards Guyana and do not regard that government as Guyana’s best friend, but today, I have to say thank you not only for the gifts, but also for exposing the unmet needs of one of many communities. The Government of Guyana was better off making a quiet protest to the Venezuelan Ambassador rather than embarrassing itself and the citizens further by making it public. Unfortunately, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs had to get her hands burnt on the first day of the job over the ineptitude and mismanagement of other government ministries and agencies.

In closing, I wish to congratulate the new Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and her successor at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Ms. Pauline Campbell-Sukhai. I have worked in Parliament with these women for many years and found them to be hard working and dedicated to Guyana even though we don’t see eye to eye on many matters. All women in Guyana should be proud. For Carolyn Rodrigues in particular, I wish to say that I hold her in high esteem and would be less than honest if I did not express my view that I harbour strong reservations as to her capacity to discharge the duties required of this office especially for a small, vulnerable, and sometimes threatened state such as Guyana. I hope she is up to the challenges and snares of foreign affairs and foreign policy management especially when other members of the cabinet will make her job increasingly impossible to complete. Nevertheless I say to her good luck and best wishes and I look forward to engaging her in the parliamentary arena.