Dear Editor,
Please permit me to comment on Christopher Ram’s 7 January 2025 letter captioned, `Guyanese people deserve leaders who will fight for their interests, not cower behind geopolitical fears or blame predecessors.’
First and most disturbingly, Mr. Ram concludes, “[Guyanese] deserve leaders who will fight for their interests, not cower behind geopolitical fears or blame predecessors.” Mr. Ram displays a naivety and foolhardiness about geopolitics and Guyana’s economic history. He ought to be reminded of the devastation that was wreaked upon Guyana’s economy because of Cold War politics. Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham took on the powers that be. We nationalized the “commanding heights of the economy.” What did we have to show for it? Katahar-Our economy was in tatters.
Furthermore, Mr. Ram displays an utter lack of understanding of the geopolitical milieu facing today’s Guyana. Recently, I viewed a clip where Dr. Jagdeo defended his position [which differed from Clement Rohee and former president Donald Ramotar] on Ukraine. His premise was that the geopolitics of today requires Guyana to pivot to the West and our border situation requires us to cultivate good relations with the USA/Exxon. Should we renege on our
agreements, we will court geopolitical and economic disaster; look next door to Venezuela. Additionally, who will guarantee our territorial integrity?
Second, Mr. Ram makes an ipse dixit claim that Article 32.1 of an Agreement [1999 or 2016] permits Guyana to renegotiate the agreement. I would appreciate for Mr. Ram to point to the specific language in the agreement and make a legal argument for his position. As of now, he has not made a reasonable argument for renegotiation.
The only legal basis for a renegotiation, under contract law, is fraud in the inducement. Mr. Ram would serve this nation by using his formidable accounting skills. I suggest that he audit the bank accounts of all who were involved in signing this lopsided contract. Look for all the sign on bonuses and payments that were buried in obscure government accounts or paid to individuals.
Sincerely,
Roger Ally
Fort Lauderdale