Dear Editor,
The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) refers to Janette Bulkan’s correspondence in the Tuesday, January 19, 2010 edition of Stabroek News captioned ‘Not present at October meeting where Suriname map including Guyana’s territory was displayed.’ The GFC is once again compelled to present the true facts to the general public.

1. Janette Bulkan may not have been present at the October 2009 meeting of the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s participants Committee Meeting. Using this as an excuse to give the public the impression that because she was not at the October 2009 meeting, she could not have “protested at the display of a map at a meeting at which I was not present,” is simply unacceptable.

2. Bulkan’s non-attendance at the October 2009 meeting does not negate the fact that she was a reviewer of the Suriname draft Readiness Preparation proposal (RPP). This document clearly includes a map that shows Guyanese sovereign territory (the New River Triangle) as being within Suriname’s national boundaries.

3. Had Bulkan done an objective and thorough assessment of Suriname’s draft RPP (as she was expected to do), then she must have also perused the map included in the draft RPP.

4. Her insult to all true and patriotic Guyanese continues when she states, “it is unclear what the government hopes to gain from intervening in my employment outside Guyana on a task not affecting Guyana.”

How is it possible that an insult and potential threat to Guyana’s sovereignty is “a task not affecting Guyana”? The Government of Guyana, all political parties and indeed all other patriotic Guyanese must denounce publicly this attempt to downplay an issue that is of such critical importance to not only this generation, but to all future generations to come.

We must let Bulkan know that whilst she is content to trivialize Suriname’s deliberate inclusion of Guyanese sovereign territory in a map purporting to show Suriname’s boundaries, it is content that we will always object to at all levels and in all fora.

The protection of our national patrimony and sovereignty are issues that are sacred to all Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity, religion or political allegiance; it is something that we have always been united on.

The GFC can only appeal to Bulkan to review her position on this critical issue.

Yours faithfully,
James Singh
Commissioner of Forests