The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has stated that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government and the United States (U.S.) are not doing a good job of hiding the fact that the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State has all to do with its contention with neighbouring Venezuela.
The political party said in a release that while the PPP cozies up to the foreign officials, Guyana territorial integrity and security have been left open to the grave ills that can come stirring up unnecessary conflict.
“WPA believes that the arrival in Guyana of the USA Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on the heels of the active role of the US diplomatic operatives and the Secretary himself in the recently concluded General and Regional elections is not accidental. The fact that the Secretary is also visiting neighboring Suriname is also noted. Further, the evasiveness of the government regarding the purpose of the visit lends credence to the view that it has national security implications for Guyana,” the WPA stated.
The party said that it is difficult to accept the U.S. State Department’s explanation that Pompeo’s visit is merely a routine as the questions ‘why now’ and ‘why Guyana’ must be asked. The WPA said that history has proven time and again that such high-level U.S. presence in a small Caribbean country hints at a larger agenda. Furthermore, it said that the U.S. and other first-world countries have not disguised their interest in Guyana in the wake of its substantial oil discoveries.
The WPA stated: “If this is indeed the case, WPA feels compelled to warn the Guyana government against entangling our country in the US-Venezuela conflict. It is a high-risk endeavor that is pregnant with outcomes that would be detrimental to Guyana’s territorial integrity and the country’s security, including its economic security. While we fully understand that having benefited from regime change, the PPP government is under pressure to repay its benefactors, Guyana’s safety is too high a price to pay.”
The political party called on all Guyanese stakeholders, including those supportive of the PPP, to put pressure on the government to resist the temptation to go in the aforementioned direction.
It pointed out that Guyana’s geographical proximity to Venezuela puts it at risk even without active support for the U.S. and should it become embroiled in the conflict, Guyana and Guyanese would most likely end up as collateral damage.
“That is an outcome that we could ill afford…should the government take Guyana into the conflict, these forces must bear equal responsibility for the consequences,” the WPA said.
Pompeo is Guyana’s highest-ranking U.S. official to visit since independence. He was at the forefront of calls by the international community, which had called on the previous David Granger administration to leave office following the disputed March 2, 2020 elections. Many Guyanese and even officials of the previous government had accused the U.S. of interfering with Guyana’s internal affairs.
Guyana and Venezuela are currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and advisors have told the Government that it is important for Guyana to maintain its initial position when treating with the Spanish speaking country – that is, non-interference in its internal affairs.
2020 Elections
