Dear Editor,
Some sixty odd years ago Dr Jagan and the PPP had a choice in foreign relations – either the United States of America representing capitalism or the Soviet Union representing communism.

He chose to embrace the latter and history has recorded the price Guyanese have had to pay and are still paying for this mistake.

On Thursday, President Jagdeo also had a choice in foreign relations – either the United States of America representing freedom and democracy or Iran representing state-sponsored terrorism led by a President elected by fraud. He chose the latter.

How much will Guyanese pay for this mistake? Of course Guyana is a sovereign state and has the unquestionable right to choose its international friends and partners. But Guyana is also a poor country and heavily dependent on foreign aid. Who in the world is the biggest donor, directly or indirectly, to Guyana?

What if there is a national disaster or catastrophe worse than the floods of 2005?  Who you gonna call? Who will respond better financially and otherwise? Not Iran, Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela or even Caricom. Anyone will say resoundingly, the US of A.

Look at the catastrophic situation in Haiti. The American government has initially committed $100M for immediate food and medical supplies, with more to follow. Donations from corporations and fund-raising activities have already raised over $150M. The special fund set up by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush is expected to raise $1B. And the charitable organizations like the Red Cross are already spending millions. We are talking US dollars here, not Guyana dollars.

Like I said, in case of a national catastrophe who would you rather have as a friend in your corner, the USA or Iran? You cannot have both.

This concerns all of us. We should tell President Jagdeo and the PPP in no uncertain terms  that this relationship with Iran is bad for the people.

Yours faithfully
Shawn Mangru