Dear Editor,
Chris Ram, yesterday, brought our attention, at this very time of intense border/hegemonic disputes, all of which have remarkable similarities, to the work of Cedric Joseph on the nature of the historical Guyana-Venezuela controversy. Two things I have to say right off: 1. I read Ram’s letter at 2.00 am, and ten minutes later I had started reading Cedric Joseph’s book, obtained so easily through my Kindle account at Amazon. Which tells that all “truths, facts” and references are finger-tipped available and verifiable even for the dummy. There is no excuse to believe or accept other people’s facts.
And, 2. No, I cannot agree to the awarding of Cedric a UG Honorary Doctorate. It is now 3.00 pm, about ten hours since I have been reading Cedric’s book. I put it down twice – to eat breakfast and lunch. I am not finished, and when I am done I will have to read it again, and again… so eruditely intense. So, I won’t agree to honour the man for such a brilliant career and work with a such a diluted toast it is not worth the chaser.
But I have learned from Cedric there are a hundred facets to the Guyana/ Vene-zuela controversy that could have caused a war between US and UK. (Just like they were on opposite sides of the 1948 Palestine problem, resulting in the US adding insult to the injured, defeated British, and giving recognition to Israel within hours of their UDI (unilateral declaration of dependence). Serious. They could have gone to war over the Esse-quibo border.
But the whole dispute did not start in 1945. It started four hundred years before with a great friction between the Papal Bulls (two bulls, one fighting the other) and the non-Catholic European Powers who had nothing but contempt for the Bulls. Then it continued between the Spanish and the Dutch with the French standing by. Then later, three US Presi-dents were on the side of Venezuela. And one, immediately after promising Jagan hook line and sinker, was, in two months’ time, the chief guest of the Vene-zuelan President in Caracas, promising him to not let Castro and Jagan control the western hemisphere. Boy, that Kissinger was right, US has no permanent friends, only permanent interests. So sorry for all my relatives who vowed that the US Marines would come save them.
I do have a hundred more juicy stuff to write about this controversy. Trust me. But for now I think Guyanese should go easy on those cavalier doctorates, carnival el dorado lifestyles and the cuiras, and get down to learning some serious facts about this dispute. That way they can educate their children and especially the quarter million refugees from our western Republic. We know the upcoming referendum would be like the one we had. Ninety eight percent would vote for the house and voila! that will empower them to write a new constitution that includes Essequibo.
Yours truly,
Gokarran Sukhdeo
