Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves maintains that Venezuela’s elections were democratic and transparent, but said that position does not change the fact that he is a friend of Guyana and will not tolerate any military action against it by the Nicolas Maduro regime or any other.
Venezuelan electoral authorities are yet to present evidence of Maduro’s supposed victory and in the absence of this there has been wide condemnation of the process. Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia has sought refuge in Spain after being targeted by the Venezuelan authorities. The United States has since imposed visa sanctions on a range of Venezuelan officials and Brazil, among other regional countries, has yet to recognize the result.
Gonsalves said that he also stands by the Argyle Agreement of December last year in St Vincent which aimed at easing tensions between Guyana and Venezuela and and believes that any conflict between the two nations must be resolved peacefully. “My declaration on the elections is that the elections were free and fair, reflecting the result,” Gonsalves told Stabroek News on Saturday when asked about his stance and seeming rush to declare that Maduro was democratically elected.
He said he congratulated Maduro because he knew that the Venezuelan system of voting was a technologically sound one and that he believed it showed Maduro winning.
“Venezuela has one of the most sophisticated systems of voting. The Carter Center has commented favourably on it. All I want is for everything to be done in accordance with what the law says. I am not getting involved in US law whether [former President Donald] Trump won or lost. I keep myself very clear of these matters. When you have a voice like mine and it sounds discordant to what imperialism wants, they drum up all their noises and roll all their propaganda arms to drown me out; well drown out the truth, drown out the truth!” he emphasised.
Speaking on the sidelines of the funeral for Sir Shridath Ramphal, Gonsalves said that a Maduro administration also serves Guyana’s interest best as far-right opponents have expressed an unrelenting stance in occupying this country’s territory.
“I have said publicly… It is my view based on all the forces in Venezuela, that if you have a choice between Maduro and the right wing in Venezuela, I advise you to choose Maduro. The right wing will seek to allow the Americans to take the oil in Venezuela, to set up to take over PDVSA [Petróleos de Venezuela][ and try to run Guyana’s oil industry from Caracas,” he claimed.
“I am telling you, the right wing in the election was taunting Maduro telling the people that Maduro has to compromise with Guyana because they have friends in the Caribbean like Ralph and they would not think twice to claim what is theirs. The right wing historically in Venezuela has been always pushing against Guyana. Always! I analyse things. I don’t go with people who don’t understand things.”
Gonsalves said Guyana should also know that anytime Venezuela takes military action, he would condemn it as he supports peace. “Peace is in the interest of Guyana. The right wing will want to mobilise troops to enter Venezuela. Why you think Cheddi was very leery of them? I don’t do my analysis on the basis of what CNN, Fox or what the State Department says, you know,” he stressed saying his analysis is done “on the facts I see before me.”
He added, “We have an Argyle Declaration and anytime, if Venezuela attempts to do anything militarily, you’ll hear that I speak against it… Under anybody. No war! You have a problem, you talk about it, you solve it.”
Gonsalves said that since the Venezuela elections there has been no word from Caracas on occupying Guyana. “Since the elections, have we heard anything out of Venezuela where they are talking anything about moving troops inside of Guyana? Now, I am a practical man of affairs. I know everybody got their politics to play. What I want is peace so that Guyana can continue to prosper,” he said.
“America can’t teach me about elections and democracy. In my lifetime, I watched what has happened,” he said, pointing to history and democratic governments that he believes were toppled by the US for its own interest, listing 1973 Chile, Honduras and others.
Asked by this newspaper what he would say to critics who believed he was anti-American, he responded that his record speaks. “I’ve said repeatedly that the Americans are our friends. I have excellent relations with the Americans. The American society and civilisation is an amazing one of science and technology, but we have seen historically, they have not yet been able to get out from the ghost of (the) Munroe (Doctrine). In this backyard, their backyard or their front yard or whatever they call it, they must control it,” he said.
Guyana and Suriname were the only countries in the 15-member Caricom bloc supporting the joint statement which called for democracy in Venezuela. “That’s quite disappointing, actually. For us, it seems very clear to support democracy. Certain things need to be done with regard to the elections. And if those other countries chose not to sign on, that is their right. But we are disappointed,” United States Ambassador Nicole Theriot said last month. Following heavy protests in Caracas and in response to election-related criticism, Venezuela expelled diplomats from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay, Reuters reported.
A number of anti-Maduro supporters have also been incarcerated and there have been reports of some 20 deaths related to the elections. Global human rights groups have bemoaned the spiralling situation and have called for Maduro to give in to the will of the people.
Gonsalves said that he will continue to stand on the principles he believes in because he wants Guyana to prosper.
He said that at his age and with a history of speaking his mind, he would not change. “I look like a man at 78 who fear anything? I not frighten anything at all. Guyana is my friend, [President] Irfaan [Ali] is my friend. The Guyanese people are my friends. Maduro is also my friend and I want peace between Venezuela and Guyana in the same way I want peace across the Taiwan Straits; the same way I want peace in the Ukraine,” he said.
