Guyana opposition dissatisfied with response to Venezuelan incursion
(Caribbean Net News, Published on Thursday, November 22, 2007)
By Gordon French
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: A shipment of oil from Venezuela may have averted a massive fuel crisis in Guyana, but did little to roll away an ongoing spat between the two countries following Thursday’s military attack on miners inside the Guyana border.
That attack has been described as a continuation of a “choke and rob” situation that has led to poor investments in western Guyana.
The government has dispatched a Note Verbale to Caracas registering their concern over the incursion.
No response has been tendered since, but critics believe that a shipment of 16,000 barrels of oil on Tuesday may have been an attempt by the Hugo Chavez administration to soothe recent wounds.
However, …. Presidential contender for the 2011 elections, Peter Ramsaroop has expressed the disappointment with the government’s initial response to the Venezuelan invasion.
“The attack by Venezuela on Guyanese in Guyana’s waters cannot be condoned, not even in the face of a shipment of 16,000 barrels of fuel to avert a crisis gripping our nation. This is downright alarming,” Ramsaroop stated.
One of the key planks of the Ramsaroop campaign is to mitigate any aggression by the Chavez administration and his claim to two thirds of Guyana. He called on Guyanese to petition the government to utilise all and every means necessary to deal with this threat and to ensure that any claim to Guyana’s territory is removed immediately by the Venezuelan Government.
He noted that bad policies of both the PNC and PPP governments have cost Guyana valuable population growth, intellectual capital retention, and fostered weak institutions. According to Ramsaroop, Hugo Chavez, who constantly warns that the US may someday invade Venezuela, is already training neighbourhood-based civilian militias.
His government opponents say he is trying to create the means to suppress dissent and defend his presidency at all costs. “We cannot allow Hugo Chavez also to create fear in our government; we have to assert our rights with any help we can get from friendly governments and relevant international bodies. We must build a country that others would want to help and invest in,” Ramsaroop noted.
According to Guyana, 36 Venezuelan soldiers used helicopters and Compostion-4 (C-4), a type of plastic explosive, to blow up two dredging machines in Guyana waters.
Maduro promises ‘information’ on Venezuelan invasion
(Stabroek News, Thursday, November 22nd 2007)
Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolas Maduro has promised to send “information” to his Guyanese counterpart on the invasion of Guyana’s territory by the Venezuelan military last week…
Meanwhile, Vision Guyana run by businessman and self-declared presidential contender for 2011 Peter Ramsaroop in a release issued yesterday said, “the attack by Venezuela on Guyanese in Guyana’s waters cannot be condoned, not even in the face of a shipment of 16,000 barrels of fuel to avert a crisis gripping our nation. We should not be bought.”
Vision Guyana said it believed that fear of a Venezuelan invasion was a deterrent to major private investors wanting to invest in the Essequibo region, which is rich in natural resources.
“This is a longstanding issue that we must take aggressive action, whether military or diplomatic to protect the sovereignty of our lands. We lack the bold leadership and foreign policy necessary to deal with such aggression by our neighbour in holding our country hostage,” Vision Guyana said.
The group called on the government to use all means necessary to deal with the situation to prevent further aggression and to ensure that any claim to Guyana’s territory by the Venezuelan government was removed.
Vision Guyana follows the parliamentary minority parties AFC and GAP-ROAR in condemning the invasion. (Miranda La Rose)
Filed under: Political | Tagged: Guyana, South America, Venezuela, World
