Dear Editor,
With war on the horizon between the super powers and their respective allies, and the fumbling of the Taiwan issue by our Foreign Minister, it is unclear where Guyana’s loyalty truly lies. What begun as war games has now resulted in war preparations that have serious consequences. The US is running military exercises in Guyana while our President is speaking in China about our defence cooperation with the Dragon Nation. The optics and messaging are becoming problematic. There is also the question of Israel and the Palestinians. What occurs in the security council of the UN will be very telling. The US and Israel have an imperishable relationship, while the President has declared that Guyana and China have an imperishable relationship as well.
Anti-Islamic sentiment is on the rise in Europe with the burning of Qurans. Will religion interfere with the President’s decision making? Maybe or maybe not, after all, he did agree to import swine into the country for the development of pork exports. However, Guyana has shown support for a Palestinian state at the UN, while China has also strengthened ties with the Middle East. The time will come when our country’s actions on the world stage will undergo immense scrutiny and we must be clear as to whether we are going to take a path of neutrality. It is CRG’s opinion that this is the only path for our small Nation. We are best situated to provide another forum where the great nations of today may meet to find a peaceful solution to their problems.
If and when war does come, our region will not be spared. Venezuela and Russia have indicated that the south is in play, hence the increased US presence. The passion of religious belief and political philosophy cannot be allowed to ruin the future of our Nation. The coming years will require strong leadership and political maturity. This is where we must come together to ensure that our future government is one that is stronger diplomatically and is one that is capable of avoiding the pitfalls of zealousness. There is a reason that the red in our flag represents the zeal of our people. Too much of anything is not good, and the zeal of our people and our leaders should not lead to our people’s bloodshed and suffering. The question now becomes, where does the Ali Administration stand in the event of a war between the powers of today?
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of
Guyana