Dear Editor,
A few things have to be said about where Guyana is with this Venezuelan crisis, and it helps everyone when I do this in a bareknuckle manner. In some respects, the president is lagging, the government is sluggish, and citizens are negligent. When I read and absorb the energies and passions of Venezuelans at every level of their society, I flinch at how poorly Guyanese compare. For starters, we have made some noise about ‘not a blade of grass’, but it would help to see the reassuring outlines of the bulwarks that patrol in defense of each root and strand of grass not to be yielded. Where are those bulwarks, why are they less-than-visible, so low-keyed? Especially when neighbours are more than rattling, they are pointing and advancing threateningly? For sure, this is not the nonstarter of military engagement, a welcomed proposition by enemies [a losing one for Guyana], but there is something called shoring up local morale, giving a kick upstairs to flagging temperaments. It is not seen.
President Ali has worked the international community energetically, but there is much ground to be covered domestically. Guyanese want to hear, know, and understand what is happening at the border. If for protective purposes, there is an information lockdown about what is going on out there, at least let the hinterland communities be infused with the confidence that their government is watching out for them, with them, and have them very much in mind. Who is talking to them with passion? Who are the authorized networks and channels of communication? What is the message? There is palpable fear, there is deep nervousness, and neither can be denied. Strong, urgent, and credible leadership is called for like never before. The usual fluff, bluff, and other stuff will not work, should not be tried.
Sticking with communications, the vaunted public relations machinery of the PPP government has been outmatched by that of the Venezuelans every step of the way. Not only outmatched, but outran, too. Get a hold of this: Venezuela is a peace-loving nation and Guyana is a warmonger. It is an upside-down, reversal of roles, in motion with this border controversy. What the government has done here in different spheres of Guyanese life to Guyanese is now being employed against it by a more devious adversary. Separately, where is civil society? Where are the guardians of democracy? To where have all the energies of 2020 dissipated? Either 50 or 500 Guyanese should be in front of the Venezuelan Embassy daily with their placards: Essequibo is OURS! And, Hands-off warmongers, intruders, defilers! Why have the ruling party and government, with a hand extended to the Opposition, not been in the forefront of such peaceful, disciplined exercises since the beginning? The Opposition has made clear what it is for, where it stands, why is the government not capitalizing on those positions and convictions?
Sincerely,
GHK Lall