End Venezuelan threat and aggression now!

Mar 10, 2021 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

It is very clear that Venezuela is becoming a real aggressor in South America and I have observed that President Maduro is desperately trying to assert himself among his people by distracting them from the fact that he and his cabinet are starving the country, ruining lives, ambitions, and the future of their citizens.
As the son of the dear and wonderful land of Guyana, I am appalled by the relentless attempts of Venezuela to play and dance like monkeys on our backs, as former President David Arthur Granger has said. According to Robert Ardrey’s words, “Man … is as much a territorial animal as is a mocking bird singing in the clear California night.” This goes to say that the most successful predator has the will to violate the territories of others while instinctively rallying to protect its own. These terms encapsulate the entire situation of the border conflict between Guyana and Venezuela.
Going back to decades, while the 1899 Arbitral Award aimed to settle the border dispute between Guyana and Venezuela by granting each of them its own, Venezuela has not allowed our country to seize several opportunities to expand and develop. Many international organizations that wished to invest and aid in our country’s growth have been threatened and frightened by our not-so-neighbourly neighbours, Venezuela. Even in our own waters, the ExxonMobil tanker, operated by one of the largest countries in the world, was driven away and put to shame.
Belligerents and utter eye pass in Guyana are not acceptable. Our President, His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali, has rightly called out Venezuela and called upon our allies in CARICOM and the world to denounce Maduro and his mad policies. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize His Excellency the President and even the previous Government, along with the former PPP/C Government, for always seeking to refute and find everything practicable along the peaceful corridors of universal cooperation and understanding, even since the time of former President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham in terms of this conflict. However, they should know that Venezuela is not going to hesitate or stop. As Venezuelans starve, Maduro and his government will more and more try to frustrate us from enjoying the glory and prosperity that awaits our land and country. The sad reality is that even though we have endured his atrocities, we are still responsible for rescuing, so to say, by housing, feeding, and clothing a number of his citizens. As the expression goes, “Do not ‘mess’ (for lack of a friendlier term) where you eat.” It is for this reason that I believe for what Maduro has done, he ought to hide his head in shame.
To curb Maduro’s insanity, I wish to recommend the following:
Invite the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and/or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to play long-term or perpetual war games in Guyana. I am not saying to open bases, but to give them the use of our jungles in Regions 1, 9, 8, and even parts of our city to do military maneuvers that also involves our country, partly, so that our army can get some high-class international training as well. Our other friendly CARICOM countries, like Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Lucia, etc. may also participate. They will also get a chance to train and study new military tactics, concepts, and military maneuvers. This will show that we have an international security facility and that we are capable of defending our country, both alone and in cohesion with our international allies.
We have also seen our President and our Prime Minister smartly inducing the idea that our soldiers are not just to run, do military work, sleeping in the barracks, and March. They have got to construct bridges, dams, and schools as the United States Army did where they constructed a school on Brickdam and Camp Street. This can be imitated in such a way that schools, dams, bridges be built for the reason that they have several distinct types of corps, such as the military wing, the air wing, the navy wing, and the educational wing. It would be even beneficial to make good use of our underutilized engineering corp as well. Consequently, the United States of America is noted for donating gifts such as helicopters and aircraft, and I believe that a collaboration with them will be a bonus for Guyana. In giving them the free use of our lands as a token of goodwill, gratitude, and friendship, we will be protected by the mere presence in these areas, from those who lust after our resources like hungry and greedy hyenas. We have already seen in their gluttony whereby Venezuela is also claiming land from Colombia, but Colombia is not pressurized as much as Guyana. This is because Colombia has a very strong military, navy, and air force as a result of drug cartels. They have invested wisely, and so should we!

To sum up, inviting the United States of America’s military for long-term manoeuvre and/or the United Kingdom or whomever they may wish to involve, while at the same time including our military, will be a true win-win situation for Guyana. The United States of America can also begin summer youth training, something that the Guyana Military has never done. This will provide a lot of openings for young people. My son was once interested in military summer training in Guyana, but our army was not prepared to accept him and others. They should even appoint those that they consider fit and worthy for the Guyana Defence Force and even their army because we have some amazing, talented young people in this country who lack good opportunities. Our youths could even be invited to join the United States Military with the understanding that after five to 10 years in the US military, they have to return to Guyana to serve.
So, while His Excellency the President may be considering these things, I implore him to accept my words and to use this as an invitation to CARICOM and all other friendly countries to use our Amazon jungle for military training, manoeuvring, and to strengthen our country while in turn, act as a protection for all Guyanese, all for free.

Sincerely,
Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.

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