Dear Editor,
I write to share a few comments with you and your readers about your editorial on September 28, captioned ‘Lessons learned.’ A well written and concise piece no doubt.
I want, however, to add my two cents worth to the following paragraph: “The haemorrhaging of the Foreign Ministry, with the accompanying loss of irreplaceable knowledge and skills in the 1990s, has been subject to extensive commentary and analysis. In spite of the bitterness and disillusion aroused, it is evident that Guyanese of all political hues will always rally to the preservation of our borders and national patrimony.” I was one of those Foreign Service Officers who had to leave the Ministry, and eventually but regrettably, the shores of Guyana. The haemorrhaging you alluded to was induced by the ill-advised PPP apparatchiks and those jockeying for position of favourites under the then new administration. The faux pas of the new PPP administration as far as diplomacy was concerned were numerous, idiotic, and laughable.
The point I want to make, however, is that your editorial brought back to memory my service in Caracas, and, in particular, when the Embassy of Guyana was approached by a batch of university students who had to debate Vene-zuela’s claim to the Essequibo and who were tasked with Guyana’s position to defend.
The information I provided to them and the discussions we had over several hours were informative, influential and, as it turned out, convincing. In fact, the leader of the group actually called me a month later after the debate to thank me and the embassy for its time and to inform me that they had won the debate. It was one of the proudest moments of my time as a representative of the people of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Raj Mungol
