Dear Editor,
So according to your editorial of Sunday, June 28, the Latin states involved in Alba “are all socialist in orientation” and by implication our Caricom countries are all ‘free’ and democratic, ie, we all follow a free market, neo-liberal system graciously bestowed on us by a benign colonial history, God and America. Our future interests obviously lie in continuing down such a path under the illustrious gaze of Obama, whose administration continues an illegal trade boycott of Cuba; the occupation of Afghanistan with the concomitant death of civilians by drones and torture at Bagram; support for brutal undemocratic regimes in Egypt and Saudi Arabia; of course its friend Israel with its disgusting and racist suppression and occupation of Palestinian land on the West Bank, but no recognition of Hamas after they had democratically won an election! (the EU also refused to recognise a democratically elected government in occupied Palestine); and old dodgy CIA groupings such as the OAS. Our future interests according to the editorial are away from ‘greedy’ madmen like Chávez who, with his imaginary take-over of territory has not yet demonstrated a predilection for murder, torture and occupation like our ‘democratic’ freedom-loving western friends and their practice of selective humanity. Perhaps, Chávez in time will create an international organisation like the CIA?
Guyana has a rich political history so please don’t insult our intelligence with this cold-war style paranoia.
Yours faithfully,
Henry Horton
Editor’s note
Much of what Mr Horton claims follows from what was said in the editorial was neither stated nor implied in the leader in question. The issue partly concerned the incompatability of the socialist principles underpinning Alba with what was enunciated in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, and the fact that the membership of Dominica et al in the organization would likely undermine Caricom. With respect to Venezuela’s greed in the region (this goes back well before Mr Chávez’s time although he has not changed direction where this is concerned), this has been amply demonstrated over the years, not least by the spurious claim to ⅝ of Guyana’s territory, and the stymieing of this country’s efforts to develop it both by Mr Chávez and his predecessors.
