Dear Editor,
Apologies to the fan club, but this letter is longer than my usual by necessity.
As the Caretaker President seems determined to take the country over the cliff edge, I have been talking to high level officials in both the UK and US administrations about the process and results. Sanctions are a long process but the journey has already started.
Step one. Personal travel sanctions. Visas and travel to both countries will be/are already suspended for named individuals and their immediate families. One assumes the un-named are the entire Cabinet and a very few senior Gecom officials. No trips to Ohio to see family for Mo and Sita for starters!
Step two. Personal economic sanctions. Any assets the named individuals have in the two countries are frozen. Those US bolt-holes will be shuttered. Sorry Khemraj and Foe. The individuals are barred from any contact with the US banking system. They become economic non persons,
Step three. Bilateral sanctions. Certain sectors are targeted for sanctions – prime amongst them the nascent oil industry- and trade forbidden. Look at Venezuela having to scratch around the world looking for markets for its ample oil reserves. Guyana will lose out.
The Guyana Sovereign Wealth fund is held in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That will be put into an escrow
(temporary) account and frozen. Not one cent of the Oil Dorado dividend will revert to Guyana.
Step four. Multilateral sanctions. One or more countries or economic units – the EU or Caricom-get together to isolate and sanction Guyana. The big nations will discourage business contacts between their nationals and companies and Guyana. Business would surely grind to a juddering halt in the country.
Boris Johnson is in office until December 2024. He then faces an election with the result known the day after. Donald Trump faces the electorate in November 2020.In my view, he stands a good chance of winning. The result of that usually takes 48 hours.
So, the prospects if the de facto Granger administration continue to defy international law are not bright. Not just for the Granger Gang but for all Guyanese.
Think carefully David. Is that what you want?
Why not have some wisdom and retire to Pearl.
Yours at length
John ‘Bill Cotton/Reform’
Mair
