I congratulate President Irfaan Ali. A balanced, sensible posture on intensifying tensions in the region, with the US turning up the volume, tightening the vise on Venezuela. Yeah, Nicholas Maduro and his posse are wanted out of Caracas that bad. Me, too. But not in the way that is coming out of Washington. The menaces, the fallouts, are sure to impact Guyana for generations to come, in ways not thought through or seen through fully. I urge my fellow Guyanese to contemplate the prospect of a million Venezuelan refugees fleeing the anguish of war. If a million is seen as too much, then I resubmit half that number. Try again -a quarter of it. When added to those already here, Guyanese are well on their way to minority status. Essequibo might still be Guyana’s on a map, but would Guyana as a whole, with anywhere from between a couple of hundred thousand Venezuelans parked permanently here, to as many as maybe three times that amount? War does that; refugees are part of its inevitable collateral damage. It’s alright as a thought, in the textbooks, but not when it is part of the neighborhood.
Pres Ali said that “what is needed is a meeting of minds.” My own mind and the president’s mind are one in this instance. Fancy that for progress and development! I will not deign to say whose mind should take the credit, and being generous, I give my share to the president. From all indications, however, minds are already made up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and those are the one that matter. Rather woefully, some minds in this region, one in particular, are more consumed by hostility and belligerency than the Americans themselves. More frequently recently, I find myself wondering if slavery and indentureship ever ended, and if so, did those states, in fact, registered deeply. There is currying favor, and taking curry favoring too far. One leader didn’t fall overboard by accident; that leader jumped overboard under the propulsion of the two available feet. There was delight when Barbados PM, Mia Mottley, sounded a more sober note. There is a need for such voices in this area. When all are for war, then it is inevitable that war follows.
War between America and Venezuela, however that unfolds, would not be limited to those two countries. I return to the refugee issue. Venezuela does have many neighbors, but none with the enticements and prospects as Guyana. There is land by acreage. There are minerals galore, and which tireless labor can reward toilers with some of their lucrative secrets And, there is that king in the world of natural resources, oil. Why runover the border to Columbia, when Guyana is a better, safer, richer bet? If Africans can brave the oceans for a taste of European paradises, then the long miles on the other side of Venezuela can be trekked to this side, and Guyana.
President Ali sees what I see, and though it is October, and not time for Christmas carols, he doesn’t like what he sees (and hears). Droves of Venezuelans will drive to that place of wisdom, of rare harmony in understanding. For those who would like to leverage this by saying that I am opening Maduro’s eyes, be my guest. I am also alerting all Guyanese to the other side of war, and how noncombatants can be squeezed.
It is why Guyana’s Ali is insisting that the U.S. increasing military presence-the visible segment-be viewed with “eyes wide open.” Way to go, Dr. President. If this continues, I could be unseating some established people in Office of the President. Even Vice President Jagdeo’s seat would not be as secure as before. Consider all the implications, the president is exhorting. All that glitters is not gold, is how I choose to remind from Guyanese to Trinidadians to the rest in the CARICOM fraternity. Gift horses have a way of biting when one is not watching, and kicking where there is weakness. What goes for people, goes for countries.
Hence, the “zone of peace is not only about threats to borders. It’s also about threats we are now seeing.” Who in their right minds, possessing an honest, patriotic spirit, would disagree with Pres. Ali? Not I, for sure. What is good for America could be bad, very bad, for Guyana. The president can’t say that, since he is a walking on a balance beam that is higher than the new Demerara Harbor Bridge (a suspension one). But I can, American ties and all, so I step forward to lend a hand by saying it as it is. A widening American presence in the regional lake demand mature and open discussion. A sober head. A united front. A restraining hand. I like communicating in English. Spanish is out.
