The Opposition is still not satisfied with the approach taken by the PPP/C administration regarding its handling of the latest Venezuelan threat to Guyana’s sovereignty and is suggesting among other things, the need for what it refers to as enhanced defence diplomacy.
In the latest of its series of press releases yesterday on the aforementioned issue, the opposition reiterated from the outset, its commitment to a unified front on the territorial controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. But while this was so, it also noted that “the united front does not absolve us of the responsibility to highlight the shortcomings in the government’s response to the threat at our western border.”
Further, it posited that the government needs to be “genuine” in upholding the consultative and inclusive process so that stakeholders, including the Opposition, do not feel the need to resort to public forums to air their views.
The release then proceeded into a more technical tone in its effort to explain its concept of defence diplomacy and its underpinnings. According to the statement, Guyana’s Territorial Integrity is executed via a three-pronged approach: 1) international, 2) national, and 3) legal.
Firstly, regarding the legal approach, it was explained that over the past six decades, Guyana has depended, and continues to depend firstly on Defence Diplomacy, underpinned and driven by Article 37 of its constitution and in particular, the practice of sovereign equality, inviolability of frontiers, territorial integrity of states, peaceful settlements of disputes, and non-intervention in internal affairs of other states. Together with provisions of Articles 1 and 2 of the Guyana Constitution, the borders of the Republic of Guyana are therefore “sacrosanct, indivisible, inalienable and non-transferable.”
More importantly, it added, Article 2 of Guyana’s constitution lays out the borders of Guyana, and only a national referendum can change those borders. For context, the Government of Guyana at the time, deeply entrenched the borders of Guyana in the nation’s successive constitutions. “The record shows that successive PNC governments and later the coalition government were always concerned with protecting the territory this nation received at its independence.”
Secondly, concerning the international aspect, it explained that defence diplomacy requires continuous diplomatic interactions by Guyana’s diplomats and special envoys across regional and global capitals and international institutions. The success of this type of action, it noted, manifests in strong international condemnation and possible intervention by friendly states on Guyana’s behalf, which acts as a counterweight against Venezuela. In short, such actions would give an aggressor ‘cause to pause’. The statement subsequently suggested that “the government of Guyana should immediately consider this type of diplomatic action, instead of its “current convoluted approach.”
Thirdly, the national approach, underpinned by Article 33 of Guyana’s constitution, which gave birth to the concept of total national defence. This, it explained, is where the total national material and human resources are organised and deployed to achieve total national defence in defence of the country’s territorial integrity against external aggression. “This article commands every citizen to defend Guyana. The government is advised to let the citizens know that defending Guyana’s territorial integrity is the duty of all citizens and not exclusively that of the Guyana Defence Force.”
In this context, the release further advised the government to tap into, and harness all the human resources available in this country in the defence of Guyana. It made the case that the unity approach in defence of Guyana “does not end with the Parliamentary speeches, as is the case,” but continues until the nation state of Guyana is returned to territorial safety.
Finally, the release cautioned that defence diplomacy by itself is insufficient. And as such, the opposition charged the government of Guyana with providing the Guyana Defence Force with adequate and operable defence assets to enable it to effectively defend the nation state.
