Only time will tell whether the recent visit to Suriname by President Irfaan Ali would have marked a definitive and – for both Guyana and Suriname – mutually beneficial turning point in bilateral relations between the two countries. Those who have followed the history of the relationship between them would be aware that those have been punctuated by occurrences arising out of the paradox of Suriname’s territorial claim against Guyana, on the one hand and on the other an ongoing history of peaceful and pleasing relations between the two countries characterized by the presence of a sizeable Guyanese population resident in Suriname as well as a sustained growth in cross-border commercial relations.
Now it seems that the good fortune of significant oil finds by both countries are about to set them on a path to an even closer bilateral relationship that could transcend anything that has transpired previously. What President Ali’s Paramaribo visit appears to have underscored, perhaps even further concretized, is an awareness that it could be to the advantage of both countries to embrace the collaborative possibilities that derive from proximity in their mutual pursuit of oil recovery and the economic rewards that could derive therefrom. One might add that such collaboration in the development of shared infrastructure as is suggested in the joint declaration arising out of President Ali’s visit could, arguably, be sufficiently substantial and sufficiently mutually rewarding as to allow for the placing of far less weight on the territorial claim even though one has to admit that the history of territorial claims does not suggest that this could be taken completely for granted.
For the moment, however, it is the huge potential that reposes in this week’s announcement of a possible deep water harbour to support the oil-related pursuits of the two countries that is of more uplifting significance. If such a project – along with the bridging of the Corentyne River – can fructify in the period ahead (and here it is understood that such a project will take much more than this initial expression of intent on paper) that could shift the focus of both countries away from the border issue and in the direction of more aggressively exploring the potential for further expanding bilateral cooperation. One must caution, however, that, as has already been mentioned, that territorial claims/disputes have not, historically, had a reputation for disappearing like chaff in the wind.
As two of South America’s poorest nations, however, Guyana and Suriname would be ill-advised to look what is a thoroughbred-type gift horse in the mouth. Here, it has to be said that both the governments and peoples of Guyana and Suriname need to understand that the transformation of potentially game-changing oil finds into the development of countries and peoples takes time and consistent and disciplined application to the task in hand. Poor underdeveloped countries afflicted by the disease of all sorts of domestic distractions have not always been inclined to demonstrate that discipline and focus. If history is anything to go by the spirit of optimism and promise that is embodied in what now appears to be the wish of the political administrations in both Georgetown and Paramaribo has to be attended by the requisite focus and momentum if it is to be taken forward.
It has to be said that while, on the one hand, the historic closeness of the ties that have existed between the peoples of Guyana and Suriname are positive portents, there is work to be done on both sides to ensure that the future is not blighted by the spectre of the territorial claim.
