Self interest trumps morality?

Aug 27, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I read, with not a little consternation, a report in the Friday 16th August publication of your newspaper, about an article appearing in Prensa Latina attributed to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, alleging that the British were in the process of completing a base located on one of the islands at the mouth of the Essequibo River intended for the training of “sabotage espionage” groups whose mission is to perpetrate terroristic acts in Venezuela.
I trotted out my decrepit, but detailed map of Guyana, and identified five named islands at the mouth of the Essequibo River. These are Wakenaam, Leguan, Hog Island, Fort Island and Troolie Island.
It is possible, but indeed so remotely possible as to be highly improbable, that the assertions made by Ms. Zakharova can be supported by an atom’s mass of evidence. I would go a step further to say that it is rubbish. Absolute poppycock!
And the Russians know, or should know it, given their extraordinary surveillance capabilities, arguably on par with that of the US. A claim such as the one made by Ms. Zakharova should not be based on second-hand evidence, but supported by incontrovertible facts.
There are several reasons why Guyana would not allow its territory to be used as a terrorist base, and I shall try to enumerate some of them.
Firstly, why would Guyana risk the possibility of armed conflict with Venezuela to advance the cause of refugees, even if their cause is a just one? We are meeting our obligation to them by providing food, shelter, and education where necessary.
Secondly, should Guyana choose to embark on such an ill-advised course of action, why would it select a location easily exposed to public scrutiny instead of some remote jungle area of which there are many?
Finally, speaking strictly from a foreign policy perspective, should Mr Maduro be overthrown and be replaced by Mr Guaido, can we say that the latter would be more inclined to stop this avaricious claim to a large swathe of our country? As far as I am aware Mr Guaido has not stated his position on the matter. So we don’t care who is in charge over there. That is an internal matter.
It can be unwise to form conclusions when one is not in possession of all the facts. Still, I cannot help noting that Venezuela’s economy is in shambles, and the fact that country is heavily indebted to both Russia and China is widely known. Naturally, the Russians would like to have this debt settled and are fully cognisant of the fact that Guyana may soon become one of the countries with the highest income per capita as a result of offshore oil.
Mr Maduro is still trying to revive a long settled territorial dispute, and his claim has seemingly become more spirited because of Guyana’s windfall. As indicated earlier, it may not be a good idea to form hasty judgement, so further I say not.
Colbert Wilson

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