President Irfaan Ali yesterday visited communities in Region One and Region Seven and assured residents that Guyana remains committed to peacefully resolving the ongoing border controversy with Vene-zuela and that there was absolutely nothing to fear.
Tensions have sharply escalated in recent months over Venezuela’s plans for a referendum on December 3rd on its claim to Essequibo.
“We are not taking anything for granted…That is why our overall strategy is nothing to be alarmed about. There is absolutely nothing to fear. We are doing everything in accordance with international guidelines, and we believe that Venezuela will not act recklessly,” the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces affirmed while engaging residents at Kumaka in the Mabaruma sub-district.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) said that Ali emphasised the importance of unity in addressing the border controversy, noting that every resident should remain alert during this period.
The head of state reiterated Guyana’s commitment to a peaceful resolution, urging Venezuela to adhere to international laws and work within the framework of the Inter-national Court of Justice (ICJ).
He highlighted the need for Guyanese to remain vigilant against Vene-zuela’s propaganda design-ed to instill fear among the population.
“All of us as one Guyana understand clearly that Essequibo belongs to Guyana; there is no doubt about that…We have to ensure that we don’t allow statements coming out of Venezuela to drive fear among us.
“Although we are of the opinion that Venezuela will not act recklessly, we cannot be unprepared. We have to ensure that we do everything within our own environment to secure our environment,” President Ali underscored.
Guyana, he said, has the full support of international partners, including the Commonwealth countries, CARICOM, neighbouring Brazil, and other external partners, including the United States.
“In the coming days, weeks, and months, you will see greater collaboration with our international partners,” the Head of State disclosed, according to DPI.
President Ali also reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting the country’s territorial integrity and the safety of its citizens and assured residents that the government is working closely with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and other relevant agencies to monitor the situation along the border.
The President’s message of reassurance was met with positive reactions from residents of Region One.
Several expressed their appreciation for the government’s commitment to resolving the border controversy peacefully, DPI said.
The President was accompanied on the visits by Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Omar Khan and National Security Advisor Gerry Gouveia, among others.
According to video footage of the visit, the President’s team was greeted by a crowd at Kumaka.
He said that he was visiting a number of communities along the border with primary purpose of assuring that they will be strongly defended
He noted that there was a lot of tension in the communities because of the rhetoric and statements coming out of Venezuela and their attitude on the upcoming referendum.
“We are not taking anything for granted. We are in a state of preparedness…we do not expect Vene-zuela to act in a reckless way”, he told the gathering at Kumaka.
He assured residents that the GDF has done an analysis of what is required and this is being put in place. The President said that a lot of work is taking place behind the scenes and that international partners are solidly behind the country. He referenced Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and said that he had made it clear that the International Court of Justice process has to be followed.
“What Venezuela wants to do is to create fear in the community…when we respond to that narrative we feed into that propaganda”, the President cautioned.
He added “We have mobilised the entire press corps to ensure that people are kept well aware” of what is happening along with the Ministry of Education.
In response to a concern by a citizen that many of the Venezuelans coming into the country could have had military training, Ali said “we must not allow …the few misguided forces in Venezuela to change our attitude to our neighbours”.
He added that the Intelligence service is constantly assessing the situation.
“We have stepped up significantly our monitoring we have stepped up our systems…we are paying close attention…”, he added.
He stated that one set of analysts are of the view that the border be closed but that the people who live along frontier need to have it open.
“Our intelligence suggests, for example, that they are using female soldiers from Venezuela to infiltrate the borders to gather intelligence”, he said.
To rousing applause, he declared that Essequibo belongs to Guyana and there was no doubt about that.
I want to assure you that the international community is strongly behind Guyana” and that they will not allow Venezuela to act in a reckless way.
There is no need to be fearful, he reiterated, while stating that Guyana is strengthening its defence cooperation with the United States
“Our Venezuelan brothers and sisters here you have nothing to fear”, Ali said to applause from persons who appeared to have come from across the border.
“There is absolutely nothing to fear…there is absolutely nothing to fear…”, he assured.
He called on residents to continue their daily lives and said that Deputy Police Commissioner Mahendra Budhram is also looking at internal security in the area.
The President ended the evening at the Region Seven community at Kaikan. There he said that had been cautioned against visiting the border but that his reply had been “I have to be there with the people. I want to be there with the people”.
