Race and politics must not divide us on any claim to our sovereignty

Dear Editor,

As Guyanese, we must raise our voice in unison across the Atlantic Ocean and across to our neighbour in the west, so President Maduro can hear us voicing Dave Martins’ “not one curass, not a blade of grass!” All are aware by now of the absence of sensibility by President Maduro to think there is validity in his claim to what is not Venezuela’s. This covetousness to an inch, much less twothirds of our land, we must not accept and is clearly non-negotiable. This matter is before the courts (international laws must be respected).

We do not need any identification card for any part of our 83, 000 square miles (including our Exclusive Economic Zone) other than the one marked the Cooperative Republic of Guyana! Guyana is our home and no one must put us out of our home. Only a fool allows himself to be evicted from his own home and Guyanese are not fools. Guyanese are not fools.

Brothers and sisters these are serious times. Serious enough to warrant us standing together, regardless of which party we support or which race we belong to, and I use these two identifications because they are often used not to play to the better angels within us. Race and politics must not divide us on any claim to our sovereignty and territorial integrity. In this we are one and must remain one.

In 1899 an International Tribunal settled the boundary dispute between Guyana and Venezuela (our present case is to ratify this). We must see that ruling then, as otherwise binding and non-negotiable! While our national leaders engage in diplomacy to have good sense prevail on the part of Venezuela’s leadership, as citizens - be we at home or abroad - we in our own little way can add our voice. Let us ask every one we know to join us in condemning this existential threat to our statehood. Let us inform everyone that while we empathise with the economic challenges faced by Venezuelans under President Maduro’s leadership, we shall not roll over and accept anybody taking from us what is rightly ours! A peaceful people we are but any talk about taking over, or disruption to our oil and fishing activities, we must not back down!

Guyana over the recent years has found oil, this means economic development for us and greater independence. A movement away from our dependency on oil-producing countries, notably Venezuela, is now a thing of the past, giving us greater opportunities for charting our development and standing stronger on our feet. It means greater security for us as a people since oil will no longer be used as a financial weapon over our heads to restrict the potentials and bounty of this blessed land and her people.

The people of Guyana in one voice must put President Maduro on notice that we ent giving up nothing and we ent backing down. All 83,000 square miles and the Exclusive Economic Zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in relation to Guyana remain ours! In one voice we must commit to cherish and defend forever this nation that gave us, our parents and fore-parents birth.

As a people we overcame slavery and indentureship, while marching towards independence to build an enduring Republic. What propelled us then, must propel us now to ward off Venezuela’s aggression. These are grit and determination to stand up and fight for what is rightly ours.

We ent giving up. Let all Guyana know we ent giving up. Let embroiled President Maduro and the good people of Venezuela know that we ent giving up nothing that belong to we. “Not one Blue Saki, not one rice grain, not a drop of water from the Pomeroon!”

Yours faithfully, Sharma Solomon