Dear Editor,
At a time when the U.S. has declared the Mexican cartels terrorist organizations and have started a war on drugs Guyana has decided to strengthen its ties with Mexico. On the surface strengthening of our relationship seems harmless, but we must allow the U.S. to guide our efforts in Mexico. The skills that the Mexican chamber of commerce bring to the table are rooted in U.S. manufacturing companies that have developed Mexican suppliers from the time of the NAFTA agreement. I, too, have a long history with Mexico that includes the shift in location of American manufacturing, and it is a place I hold dear, but at this moment it is a very risky bet. It is important that we first embrace the U.S. chamber of commerce to ensure that we are dealing directly with the companies who have developed the best practices, which Mexico has benefited from. This will allow us to stay ahead of the competition and allow us to build strong relationships with the OEMs who make the buying and investment decisions.
Working with Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers will slow down our technical development and in the case of Mexico, bring additional financial scrutiny to our businesses due to the potentially high exposure to money laundering. We must first allow the U.S. to finish their war on drugs and let them provide guidance as to which companies in Mexico have been cleared to work with. We must also work closely with U.S. businesses to get agreements to supply them during this volatile period, which has created a need for alternative low-cost suppliers. It will also give us an opportunity to further develop markets for our goods. Our message to Mexico should be that we look forward to working with you, but we must be cautious and await the next step in the U.S. and Mexico relationship before proceeding with further financial integration. If we are not careful Guyana will be at risk of being sanctioned by the U.S. for money laundering.
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of
Guyana
