Dear Editor,
Most times, the Venezuelan left-centre parties have been ambivalent about the Essequibo. In 1960, at a conference of Latin American parties in Caracas, the Venezuelan left-centre leaders informed Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham that they had no intention of resurrecting the long dormant and dead contention about the Essequibo. However, they stated that they would not publicly speak out against the ultranationalist claim of the Essequibo because they feared they would be politically attacked as being unpatriotic. Therefore, nearly all left-centre leaders have avoided telling the truth to Venezuelans that the claim of the Essequibo is unjustified.
The one exception was President Hugo Chavez. At the beginning of his presidency, he took an aggressive stand on the Essequibo. In 1999, an Exxon ship that was exploring in Guyana’s waters was challenged by the Venezuelan Navy. In May 2000, Chavez protested against the proposed Beal-Guyana rocket launch site in the Essequibo. In 2001, Venezuela attempted to explore for oil in Guyana’s maritime space, but Chavez stood down when CARICOM strongly protested.
By 2004, during a visit to Guyana, Chavez changed his position and publicly stated to the Guyanese people that “The issues over the Essequibo territory will be dismissed from the context of social, political and economic relations between both countries. The Venezuelan government will not be an obstacle to any project to be implemented in the Essequibo territory aimed at benefitting the population of that area. This includes projects such as access to water for human consumption, new roads, energy programs and agricultural activities.”
Venezuelan right-centre leaders continuously criticized President Chavez for being “lenient” and “silent” about Guyana’s approval of investment projects in the Essequibo. They were unable to convince the Venezuelan armed forces to openly express their disagreement with President Chavez on the Essequibo. Chavez stated that the USA-backed right-centre parties were seeking to provoke a conflict with Guyana. Once at a press conference, he asked a journalist: “Do you expect us to denounce Guyana? When has it been said that Guyana snatched the Essequibo from us?”
Chavez was the most courageous and honest Venezuelan political leader who talked the truth to the Venezuelan people about the Essequibo. In 2005, 2007 and 2008, Chávez stated on Venezuelan television and radio that in 1962 the USA had pressured the Rómulo Betancourt Venezuelan administration to use Essequibo as a platform to destabilize the left-wing government of Cheddi Jagan. He stated that Venezuela was also encouraged “to overthrow Forbes Burnham, a left-wing leader.”
In 2011, when Guyana made its Submission to the United Nations for the Extension of its Continental Shelf, President Chavez, although disagreeing with Guyana’s approach, explained that the responsibility of his Government was to seek and proceed along the peaceful path. The Venezuelan response was measured and restrained, and not belligerent.
Between 2011 and 2015, Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Ministers and officials from both countries made regular exchange visits. In 2011, CARICOM noted that, through regular high-level consultations between Guyana and Venezuela, there was “continued growth, maturity and deepening of positive and friendly relations based on a vibrant program of bilateral cooperation”.
From 2009 to 2014 under the PetroCaribe agreement, paddy and white rice exports to Venezuela increased by 300%. An average of $17 Billion was annually injected into the Guyanese economy.
In addition to the rice sector, Guyanese benefitted significantly when PetroCaribe funds were used to upgrade the key electricity generation plant in Kingston, Georgetown, and to construct the new massive drainage works at Hope that provides flood relief for communities on the East Coast of Demerara, Mahaica and Mahaicony. A Venezuelan grant of $88 million was used to purchase generators, refrigerated trucks and containers to upgrade the New Guyana Marketing Corporation agro-processing centres at Sophia and Parika. In 2010, twenty-one students from Guyana were granted free medical scholarships. A Venezuelan grant of $410 million was used to construct in West Berbice the Hugo Chavez Centre for Homeless Persons.
Nevertheless, aware of the ambivalence of the left-centre forces, the Guyana government cautiously pursued a two-track strategy in case there were heightened differences over the Essequibo and diplomatic and trade relations declined. To avoid a growing dependency on the rice-for-oil trade (by 2013, about 60% of paddy and rice exports from Guyana went to the Venezuelan market), the Rice Marketing Board was directed to diversify into new rice markets. Secondly, to ensure that Guyana did not become heavily indebted to Venezuela, Guyana cancelled 90% of its oil debt to Venezuela through regular cash payments and rice-for-oil Debt Compensation Agreements.
After the passing of Chavez in March 2013, his approach to resolving differences with Guyana was gradually abandoned. Initially, the new President, Nicolas Maduro, during a visit to Guyana in August 2013, stated that “the disagreement about the border between the two nations was a legacy from the past and it had to be resolved in a mature and responsible manner.” He further declared that, “Any issues we have with our neighbourly countries will be solved peacefully through diplomatic channels and international law. There will never be war. We have declared South America the land of peaceful people.”
However, when under pressure from the right-centre political opposition and some sections of the military, Maduro employed bullying tactics against Guyana. In 2013, the Teknik Perdana ship that was carrying out seismic surveys in Guyana’s maritime space was detained for a week by the Venezuelan Navy. At that time, the Guyana and Venezuela governments had agreed to negotiate the delimitation of maritime borders. But President Maduro reversed his position after the right-centre parties demanded that Venezuela´s claim of the Essequibo must be first settled.
In 2014, Venezuela objected to Brazil’s participation in plans for a Brazil/Guyana hydro-electric project in Essequibo. In 2015, Venezuela did not renew the rice-for-oil agreement and President Maduro unilaterally proclaimed two Decrees that illegally claimed a large part of Guyana’s maritime space off the Demerara Coast, as well as the maritime space of a number of CARICOM states. In 2018, two ships that were exploring for Exxon in Guyana’s maritime space were told to leave the area. In 2020, Venezuela refused to participate in the hearings at the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the 1899 Arbitral Award on the Guyana /Venezuela border.
For the near future, in addition to the hearings at the ICJ, Guyana has to continue strengthening our relations with key neighbours who can persuade Venezuela to turn away from bullying tactics, namely, the USA, Brazil and CARICOM.
Secondly, we have to continue welcoming the refugees from Venezuela, many of whom are from the Guyanese diaspora who had migrated to Venezuela in the 1970s.
Thirdly, we Guyanese have to provide more support to our diaspora in Venezuela, and also create opportunities for people-to-people exchanges with Venezuelan sports teams, universities, schools, trade unions, farmers organizations, medical groups, businesses, language institutes, and musical groups whose members, in the majority, still support the Hugo Chavez friendly approach of promoting harmony and solidarity between our two nations.
Yours faithfully,
Geoffrey Da Silva former Ambassador to Venezuela
