Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai yesterday lamented that the lives of Guyana’s Indigenous peoples are being endangered due to the increased presence of the Venezuelan military on the country’s border and close to hinterland communities.
She made these remarks during the extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly where both Government and Opposition unanimously voted in favour of the motion which reaffirmed recognition of the 1899 Arbitral Award.
Sukhai told the National Assembly that the growing presence of the Venezuelan military is a grave concern of the government as the actions of the Venezuelan Government have gone beyond provocation.
“In the northwestern corner of Guyana, mainly Amerindians live there. They live under intimidation and heightened tension… (and) they will be impacted the most,” Sukhai stated.
She added, “This will continue if Venezuela is allowed to continue to fuel this controversy. In reality, it is a big concern for peace and stability in the border communities.”
Sukhai said that many residents are living in trepidation due to the threats by Venezuelan sindicatos and the growing presence of the country’s military on the borders has further heightened fears.
However, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs made it clear that Guyana will not fall prey to the intimidatory tactics of the Venezuelan government as it pursues a public referendum to make spurious claims over the county of Essequibo.
Sukhai, like all of her colleagues rejected Venezuela’s actions and denounced the planned referendum which some fear may be used as the basis for a Venezuelan plan to annex Guyana’s Essequibo region.
The International Court of Justice last week announced that it will hold public hearings on November 14 on Guyana’s request for provisional measures related to a referendum planned by Venezuela on December 3 on Essequibo which is the substance of a case currently being heard by the Holland-based tribunal.
Meanwhile Advisor on Borders at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge during an interview on the sidelines of the debate, indicated Guyana’s readiness to defend its request for the ICJ to prevent Venezuela from including any question in its planned referendum on the border controversy, which encroaches on Guyana’s territorial integrity.
The Former Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs under the APNU+AFC Government, said “while Guyana does not intend to have the referendum blocked in its entirety, the provisional measures being sought at the level of the ICJ, deals specifically with three of the five questions proposed for the Referendum”.
“In the first instance, you are calling upon the public to make a determination about the International Court of Justice. Venezuela is a member of that Court; it has obligations to uphold the processes and decisions of the Court. The questions are contrary to those obligations. You have a suggestion that the public should pronounce on what Venezuela does in relation to Guyanese and what Venezuela does in relation to territory it has never governed. It isn’t as though Essequibo, even in 1899 was part of some unnamed space, and then handed over to Guyana. It had always been part of Guyana” he explained.
The Advisor on Borders informed that the historical records would show that for more than six decades, Venezuela repeatedly affirmed its boundaries with Guyana as outlined in the 1899 Arbitral Award.
He posited Venezuela cannot now unilaterally modify the border that it shares with Guyana.
“The borders have been agreed by a variety of bodies and states, and it is the obligation of any State to honour it. If, they would like it changed, then there is a process, and that process is not a unilateral process. That is the issue. That is what is before the court. The court is being asked not so much to stop them having a referendum but to ensure they know, and to ensure that the referendum doesn’t have provisions which give the Venezuelan public, the mistaken belief that they have the right to decide on other citizens’ fate, citizens outside of the borders of Venezuela, in defiance of world opinion, in defiance of world practice, and in defiance of the obligations that Venezuela as a signatory to an agreement that still exist,” The Former Foreign Affairs Minister explained.
Greenidge said the referendum is just one of the acts of threats and aggression towards Guyana, as he alluded to the build-up of Venezuelan troops near Guyana’s borders.
“If you look at what has been happening over the last few months, you will find that the referendum is one of many things that we are concerned about. And including amongst those things is the arrangements being made along the Venezuelan side, along with very hostile language for movement of troops on our borders, actions which affect the stability and also the wellbeing of Guyanese, especially those in the areas bordering Venezuela,” he highlighted.
