Dear Editor,
On Thursday, October 15 I participated in the Democracy in the Americas 2015 symposium put on in Florida by the Zambrano Foundation and among the panelists discussing the Challenges for the future of Democracy and Economy in the Americas was one Mr. Rafael Poleo, a journalist and Editor of El Nuevo Pais and Zeta Magazine who, according to his bio was forced to leave Venezuela due to persecution from the late President Hugo Chavez.
Poleo, a strong voice in opposition to the Chavismo politics of Venezuela and its current president Nicolas Maduro had an interesting analysis of the internal dynamics of the Venezuelan political landscape including the role of the military which, according to the translation of his remarks, indicate that neither Maduro nor the current Opposition enjoy the full support of the military which is closely watching developments in the country and will not allow politicians to diminish its image or blame it for the continued hardships the people have got to face.
In my intervention I pointed out that the panel had focused its discussion on the internal dynamics of specific countries in the hemisphere namely the United States, Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti but had failed to address the broader issues of hemispheric security and peace which are prerequisites for stable democracies and building vibrant economies. In this context I raised as examples of threats to the peace in the Americas the ongoing territorial claims by Guatemala against Belize and by Venezuela against Guyana and went on the explain that in the latter case Venezuela had recently embarked on a campaign in pursuit of its claim which includes issuance of a decree that authorizes its military to protect and the defend the area it claims even though said area was allocated to Guyana under a legally binding internationally recognized Arbitral Award of 1899.
Due to time constraints I was not allowed to fully develop my arguments in support of Guyana’s position but posed this question to Poleo: Do you think the Venezuelan military would ever exercise the option of claiming the land that rightfully belongs to Guyana? I posed the question especially because of his analysis about the role of the military. His answer via translation was “chilling”. He said that in recent times the Government of Guyana had acted under the direction of external forces to proceed with the exploitation of the resources of the Essequibo which rightfully belongs to Venezuela and that such action is an affront to the people of Venezuela. He added that the Venezuelan military would take any action mandated by the mood of the Venezuelan people when the circumstances warrant it.
Among the featured guests at this event were former president of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez and former Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue. Latortue shared the panel with Poleo and others. There were diplomats, business executives, government officials and NGO representatives from about 100 countries participating in the Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo of which the democracy symposium formed part.
Following the panel discussion I approached Poleo and with the help of a translator asked him to clarify his answer. With Latortue in earshot he softened his answer a bit, perhaps due to the fact that Latortue was telling a small group nearby that he did not understand why the Venezuelan claim keeps coming up when it was settled over 100 years ago.
What this “encounter” clearly demonstrates to me is that Guyanese really need to take this most recent Venezuelan campaign on “reclaiming” the Essequibo very seriously since it is clearly the resources of this area with which Venezuela is interested and will be willing and ready to use any means necessary to gain control over these resources for the benefit of its people, in flagrant violation of international law. Guyana cannot afford to be robbed of its resources which must be carefully harnessed to ensure the prosperity of future generations of Guyanese.
It is now also clear to me that our diplomatic efforts while seeking a peaceful solution through the juridical process, must include the mobilization of support of countries to assist militarily should the need arise.
Yours faithfully,
Wesley Kirton
