Dear Editor,
As a former staff member of the CARICOM Secretariat I am saddened to witness the decline of the little influence this body had in regional and international affairs. The aborted rice deal between Guyana and neighbouring Venezuela through the PetroCaribe agreement has brought to the fore the continued self interest member states pursue within the integration movement. It is disappointing that Suriname has recently sealed a rice deal with Venezuela under the said agreement, a slap in the face of CARICOM whose membership includes Suriname.
In his quest to weaken the regional movement and increase his influence Venezuela’s President Maduro has been dishing out various forms of assistance to several Eastern Caribbean countries including Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Suriname’s recent decision to revive its claim to Guyana’s New River Triangle along the eastern border is yet another sore point in the relations of member states.
It’s opportune for Guyana, headquarters of CARICOM, to use its leverage and latent firepower to propel the regional body into action.
Yours faithfully,
Dhanraj Bhagwandin
