Dear Editor,
I am an old PNC member, but my first loyalty is to my beloved country, Guyana. I am writing to express my frustration of the visit by yet another U.S delegation, allegedly for “fact finding.” A previous delegation came just a few weeks ago, and spent precious time with the government and administration officials. This comes at a time when the government is busy contesting provocative moves from Venezuela, planning for the upcoming budget and dealing with pressing year end commitments. One wonder, should the delegation not call up or spend time with their own U.S Ambassador, to air their concerns? I wonder if these delegations have visited any other country, or just Guyana? Would any other government in the world set aside their work to repeatedly meet with foreign delegations who have “concerns”?
The Guyanese government has no obligation to meet with any foreign delegation. As a lifelong Guyanese, I have a few concerns of my own for our visitors from America. Could they please have similar “fact findings” with Exxon, and air their concerns for Exxon to renegotiate the disastrous oil contract they have with Guyana? And could they impress upon their gov’t to help Guyana defend itself against Venezuela? And could America please make it easier for Guyana to extradite fugitives living in America? Many patriotic Guyanese see these visits as pure harassment. They stand with the government that has more pressing and important tasks, to help the Guyanese people in their daily lives.
Sincerely,
Herbert Allen