Dear Editor,
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has crystalized its ruling that, “Venezuela must refrain from actions that would compromise Guyana’s administration and control of the Essequibo territory.” A statement published by the office of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated that, “Secretary Blinken and President Ali noted the International Court of Justice order issued on December 1, which called for parties to refrain from any action that might aggravate or extend the dispute.” In flagrant scorn and blatant disrespect for the ICJ’s ruling, Venezuela’s President Maduro has: unveiled a revised map of his country to include Guyana’s Essequibo region; formed a new body responsible for issuing licenses for oil, gas and mineral exploration in the Essequibo region; proposed environmentally protected zones to preserve biodiversity and serve as potential spots for tourism.
The International Community continue to send messages of encouragement and buttress to Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, committing their unswerving support for Guyana’s sovereignty, following Maduro’s threat to violate the existing land boundary. Guyana has since updated the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General, António Guterres said pursuant to the Charter and to the status of the ICJ, “decisions of the Court are binding.” Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), issued a stern warning to Venezuela, stating, “We consider [the ICJ] decision as fundamental in requesting Venezuela to refrain from all provocative, warmongering, and illegal actions that encroach on the established boundaries of Guyana’s territory,” he said. “The Court’s decision is binding and must be respected by the Venezuelan regime.” Trinidad and Tobago’s opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, alerted Venezuela, “My clear message to Maduro is you touch one, you touch all! We unequivocally support the people of Guyana in this crisis. Stay out of Essequibo!”
After replaying a tape and listening and watching Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Yvan Gill, being interviewed by Al Jazeera on the 4th November’2023, it is not surprising to conclude that the Venezuelan President’s regime has been brain washed by a Maduro, who himself is running ‘helter-skelter,’ and, feeding his comrades Jim Jones’s ‘Kool Aid.’ Playing the Pied Piper’s role, he is leading them down a disastrous lane into a valley of no return while leaving them mentally incapacitated with his ‘eco-political banditry’ approach, attitude and ailment. Immediately, the images of power-drunk possessors obsessed with illusion, flash across the screen portraying, Putin, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Charles Manson, Saddam Hussain, Osama bin Laden, just to mention a few without prejudice or priority. In October’2022, Venezuela released seven US citizens wrongfully detained, in exchange for the release of two nephews of Nicolas Maduro’s wife who were detained in the US on drug smuggling charges.
A callous, conniving and calculated champion of contrivance, Maduro’s contorted mind is all warped and wired around tyranny. Since taking over from Chavez, he has plunged the country into calamity, mismanaged the economy, driving fear into the people, disposed of the opposition, silenced his dissidents, created poverty, hunger, unemployment with millions fleeing the country, caused the US to place sanctions on Venezuela and has fertilized disease, crime and mortality to grow. The dangerous Venezuelan President remains shrewd, controversial and distrustful with his contradictory words, deeds and actions betraying himself, a nation and the people. As a dictator, he controls the management of Venezuela, administrating with a vice vilified with violence, vengeance and vindictiveness. The Human Rights Watch reported that, “The 2022-2023 UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela estimates that there are 5.2 million people in need of support in areas such as health, food security and water, sanitation, and hygiene.”
The Venezuelan government is certainly in a state of denial and forging a fictitious picture of reassurance and false promises.
Their Honourable Foreign Minister, ever composed and undisturbed by any accusation, denounced a United Nation’s report on the criminal situation and missing people under Maduro’s reign. He categorically denied the high migration record of a mass exodus of 7.7 million people seeking refuge outside of the country and even challenged the UN and other agencies to prove the migration figures.
He emphatically stressed that there has been “The resurgence of disproportionate attack” from the United States. He even claimed that “All our foreign assets were stolen by the US.” Being as cool as a cucumber and unperturbed by facts presented to him by the interviewer, he casually dismissed a corruptive state which plunged a prosperous economy to a poor state and incurred human rights violations as “utterly false negative rhetoric.” He claimed that “There is no limitation of political rights.” The world knows different. How can Guyana accept the words of such a slick talker? In October’2022, Venezuela failed in its bid to be re-elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
Guyana’s Foreign Minister, the Honorable Hugh Todd, has reached out to his Venezuelan counterpart, Yvan Gill, registering grave concern over Venezuela’s aggression and contravention and the need to “preserve peace and security” within the region while recommending “the utmost respect toward Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” No response from the tongue-twister, Venezuelan’s Foreign Minister Gil, will quell Guyana’s comfort level.
The IMF has recently released a report showing Guyana’s oil revenue to soar to US$11 Billion by 2028. Is Maduro eying this wealth with greed? Maduro faces great opposition from Maria Machado in 2025 election.
Is his plan to annex Guyana a political move to gain support? The deputy of the National Assembly in Venezuela, Luis Eduardo Martínez, the Opposition along with millions of Venezuelans who did not turn up to vote for Maduro’s Referendum, are not in agreement with his actions.
Yours respectfully,
Jai Lall
