To my fellow Guyanese,
Our nation stands at a perilous moment in its modern history. The government of Venezuela has taken overt steps to violate our sovereignty, first through an alarming naval incursion into our Exclusive Economic Zone recently, and now with declared intentions to hold elections within Guyana’s sovereign territory, the Essequibo region. These acts represent not only a breach of international law and the authority of the International Court of Justice but also a direct threat to the peace, security, and territorial integrity of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. What we do now, as a collective people, will define our future and echo through time.
This is not a time for complacency, silence, or division. It is a time for clarity, courage, and decisive national unity. We must rise above partisan boundaries, personal grievances, and political posturing to come together with a singular purpose: to defend our land, our dignity, and our right to exist in peace.
Our forebears fought and bled for the freedom we now enjoy. They did not make those sacrifices so that we might hesitate or fracture in the face of foreign aggression. Nor can we look our children in the eyes if we falter now, when the spectre of a neighbouring regime looms with unlawful ambition over land that has belonged to Guyana for generations.
This is no longer about rhetoric or historical claims. The threat is immediate and existential. Venezuela’s military actions and their plan to install political structures within our territory constitute a flagrant violation of the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice, measures which explicitly prohibit Venezuela from taking any steps to alter the status quo while the case is before the Court. Moreover, this behaviour shatters the commitments both nations made under the Argyle Declaration to resolve this matter through peaceful and legal means.
Let us not underestimate the stakes. This is not merely a boundary dispute. It is an assault on the very idea of Guyana’s sovereignty. What must we do?
We must unify, urgently and unequivocally, regardless of the prevailing social fractures and national mood of despair. We must dive deep within our beings, summon the spirits of our forefathers, all of them, and find a way to speak with one voice, act with one purpose, and stand with one will, in these extant circumstances. We must channel the spirit of David against a South American Goliath, not armed with military might, but with the might of law, of truth, of collective resolve, and of national unity. In this matter and in time, we possess the lion’s heart and the moral force of right on our side.
To our neighbours and global allies: the sovereignty of one small state is the sovereignty of all small states. Venezuela’s defiance of the international order is not only a threat to Guyana, but it is also a test of your resolve, your principles, and your professed commitment to peace and justice. We urge you to speak loudly and act boldly, not in defence of Guyana alone, but in defence of every principle you hold dear.
This is a fight not just for land, but for legacy, for the preservation of hard-won independence, and the right of all nations, no matter how small, to stand free from coercion and intimidation.
Let us pray, yes, but let our prayers be matched with vigilance, resolve, and strategic action. Let our voices rise in every village and region, in the diaspora, in our Parliament, and across the global stage. Let our unity roar louder than any threat.
So, I call on all Guyanese, regardless of background, belief, or political affiliation, to rise to this moment. Let us defend this land of promise, this Eldorado of our ancestors. Let us protect it for our children. Let us secure it for generations to come.
For Guyana. For our sovereignty. For justice. For every future citizen of our indivisible, eighty-three thousand square miles of homeland.
May God bless Guyana and all who stand in her defence.
Yours in service,
Hon. Jermaine Figueira.MP
