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The caption in Stabroek News on Tuesday last, “Guyana could approach the Regional Security System if attacked by Venezuela” may have soothed some worried Guyanese, thankful for any helping hand that this country manages to get in a crunch. In my view, if such a necessity is called for, then the circumstances are already grim. “If attacked by Venezuela” covers a range of actions, none of which are comforting. For “if attacked” means that the Venezuelan military would already have been unleashed against Guyana, and on Guyana’s side of the border, with huge spaces before them.
If Venezuelan leaders decide to take that fateful step and actually attack Guyana, it is not going to be of a limited variety, some kind of tentative feeling of the way in our jungles and across our rivers. Instead, it would be a broad array of men and materiel used to cow Guyanese into quick capitulation. If the reckless plunge to attack the Guyanese people is going to be undertaken, I think that it is not going to be by half measures. Why do so, when the weight of the world is sure to be felt for what would be brazen aggression coupled to belligerent actions? It would make no sense from a Venezuelan perspective to go off half-cocked, given the furies that would flare from here and from the international community also. Throwing aside all cautions means going for broke, and not looking back.
“if attacked by Venezuela” indicates that some crossing, some damage in some form, would have been inflicted on Guyana, with Venezuela entrenched in parts of our enticing hinterlands, and hard to dislodge. I like the idea and backstop of the Regional Security System (RSS) appealed to for assistance. The concern is the timing and movement of these forces, should there be a favorable response to Guyana’s distress call. As another layer in Guyana’s security blanket, I am all for it. But Guyana has to do more for itself, and it can longer be casual or on the backfoot with this vital aspect of this country’s existence, not when its very survival is at stake.
Regional and international assets available to us have their pluses, many wonderful ones, but there comes a time, when this country, its leaders, and its citizens can no longer look only and with yearning for relief coming from external friends. It should be noted I am holding in abeyance any conflicted response from the region due to the cultivations and incentives from our hostile neighbors, they essentially having declared the equivalent of war on Guyana.
Guyana’s security interests have to be of the highest priority, an ongoing concern at the highest levels in this country, and across its length and breadth. These concerns must no longer be on the back burner; nor a part-time occupation that ebbs and flows with the degree of tensions generated next door. As the local economy goes, so also must national security developments be in lockstep, with the appropriate budgetary allocations. The focus has to be primarily on external threats from neighbors escalating into border violations, or worse. This means that every man, woman, and child in this country must be incorporated into some form of military induction from an early age. I hope that this point registers properly and deeply: this is not to challenge Venezuela (or any other neighbor). Rather, it is to give ourselves the technical know-how, the physical preparation, the mental conditioning, and the surging national passion that we can stand on our feet, and do our part in fighting our battles. Simply put, we can hold our own in a strong defensive line, and make any reckless invader pay a heavy price.
There is only so much that can be lateraled or escalated to others. RSS or no RSS, international helping hand or none, Guyanese must nurture a mindset that makes them want to and actually stand proudly and bravely on their own feet. Let us see who genuine Guyanese can glisten with stellar patriotic pride, notwithstanding how alien that is in this local environment. I want to see who is of a self-sacrificing nature deep down inside now that such is definitely needed. All must be willing to do their part, all must be ready to make their individual sacrifices, whatever form such requires.
The more the national patrimonies of Guyana (gold, oil, gas, timber, and so forth) are explored and extracted, the more the rage of Venezuelan leaders is sure to consume them like a devouring flame. This is not a one-off crisis of limited duration, but one that is here to stay. Guyanese leaders, be they in the PPP or PNC or AFC cannot and should not play with fire on this border issue; they cannot relax or minimize the threat. Or allow political calculations to stay their hand, or muddle their minds. No scheming, no maneuvering, no hesitating should ever enter into this picture, considering where this country is today, from where it will be most difficult to extricate itself.
Whether today or tomorrow, Venezuela is not going away. Similarly, Guyana must be ready to get going with what it has to do, and already yesterday is late in the day. Reaching for the RSS has its pluses. Reaching within ourselves and be here for one another, is the best possible option in a rather sticky situation. It is wise to get as much help from as many allies as we can get. But there must always be at the back of our minds, that we have to help ourselves, and ensure that others see that we have not outsourced our woes to them, or that we are too weak to fight for ourselves.
