Dear Editor,
With reference to the news item `Vessel seized by Suriname freed after payment of heavy fine, 2008/10/17’ Suriname was accorded observer status in Caricom under former President Hoyte who refused for them to have full status (Suriname recognized that they needed to be a part of Caricom for their long term benefit and relations) because Guyana had some serious border and territorial issues to settle with Suriname. For them to become a full member there needed to be no dispute; all outstanding territorial matters with Guyana had to be settled. Hoyte was pressing home this advantage since he knew Suriname was anxious to join Caricom to have a bilateral or regional solution in Guyana’s favour. The membership rules include that for admission, a new member should not have a pending dispute with a standing member. In this case, Guyana had border and territory disputes – out in the Atlantic, Corentyne River and New River Triangle – with Suriname.
When the PPP got into government, Dr. Jagan, in what Clem Seecharran has revealed to be his proclivity for reckless haste and his ignorance of the real world around him, allowed Suriname full membership. He was strongly advised against doing this by people with knowledge of the issues and the implications of these issues should he agree that Suriname be admitted to Caricom before an amicable and binding solution was reached. He disregarded this advice and advised Caricom that Suriname be admitted unconditionally.
Clement Rohee was his Foreign Affairs Minister and the records are there at the MOFA.
In other words, Dr Jagan sunk Guyana’s position because of this lack of understanding of how these matters work. He effectively dismissed all of Guyana’s positions as not valid in the eyes of the Surinamese which is why we had the CGX incident which had to be settled at the UNCLOS. We have to go back right there to deal with all the new provocations: fishermen and now sugar ships. Caricom has no jurisdiction as a mediator or even a binding arbitrator in Guyana and Suriname matters which existed before their admission because Dr Jagan effectively derecognized Guyana’s claims in the eyes of Suriname. So President Jagdeo is rather acrobatic with the facts (when he fully well knows the reason why Suriname can do as it pleases on the Corentyne River) to be saying he does not recognize Suriname’s “unilateral administering” of the Corentyne River. This was the sticking point in Caricom’s involvement in the CGX matter; Guyana had no alternative than to go to the costly last resort, the UNCLOS.
Yours faithfully,
Evan Thomas
(Comment taken from SN website)
