Opposition concerned about uncontrolled influx of Venezuelan refugees in wake of new threats

Oct 18, 2023 News

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Kaieteur News – In wake of new threats by the Government of Venezuela, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) have expressed grave concerns over the uncontrolled influx of Venezuelan refugees.

Recently, the Venezuelan Government has criticised Guyana’s decision to hold a licensing round for offshore oil blocks, accusing this country of violating international law and warning against any “illegitimate exploitation” while promising to “apply all necessary measures” against companies taking part in the bid.

During a joint conference held on Tuesday, Leader of the APNU, Aubrey Norton and his counterpart, Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan noted that while they publicly support the government as it relates to the protection of Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, it was anticipated that the government and opposition would work in a united fashion to deal with the Venezuela’s threat.

In his press statement, Norton noted: “we believe that there are several critical issues to be addressed. We remain alarmed over the continued influx into Guyana of refugees from Venezuela and the PPP government’s inept and treacherous response to the situation. The number of Venezuelan refugees in Guyana is estimated around 35,000—and that number is growing as we speak. In several critical ways, this situation has long reached crisis proportions for the nation,” Norton said.

He added that “the influx and uncontrolled integration of refugees” can also facilitate the placement of fifth columnists and operatives into key government, military, and leadership positions both at the local and national levels, and thus achieve a “soft invasion” of the country, with far-reaching implications to our security, independence, and nationhood.

Added to this, the Opposition Leader believes the time is long past for a national conversation on refugees, on their treatment and their path to Guyanese citizenship. He noted that unless decisive action is taken, Guyanese will find that their country faces serious threats to its security and sovereignty without a gunshot fired in anger or any military action. In the two years remaining in its tenure, the PPP needs to act before the situation gets worse.

Norton expressed too that “should the Venezuelans become a majority in any sizeable area of our territory, Guyana could face the threat of possible annexation of these areas by Venezuela, similar to the fate of Crimea, which was seized by Russia in March 2014 on the grounds that the majority of the population there is made up of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers,” Norton asserted.

ELECTORAL INTEGRITY

Additionally, the Opposition Leader said that he has repeatedly expressed deep concerns over the possibility and reality of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) seeking to register refugees as electors. According to Norton in August 2021, the PPP/C Administration passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, which became Act No. 9 of 2021. He said this Act particularly introduced into the laws a deceptively harmless provision which the PPP/C Government said was intended to simplify the requirements for obtaining a Guyana Birth Certificate.

Norton explained that “Section 44 A, one of the new sections inserted into the law, outlines the process by which an adult who has no documentation whatsoever may acquire a Guyana birth certificate on the basis alone of: A declaration in a prescribed form signed by a person of high standing in the community including a community leader or Toshao; or a declaration under the Statutory interpretation Act by a person of high standing in the community including a community leader or Toshao.”

“This declaration is to be signed by a Justice of the Peace or a Commissioner of Oaths and the declaration must state the particulars of the birth of a person.”

As such, the Opposition Leader said effectively, the law provides a means for any person to be registered as a born Guyanese, without the need to provide proper evidence that they were indeed born in Guyana.

Furthermore, he said any person, once armed with a Guyana birth certificate and over 14 years of age, now becomes entitled to be listed in the National Register of Registrants – from which the Voters List is extracted.

Norton made a comparison between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

“In Trinidad and Tobago, for example, a person seeking a birth certificate is required to provide documentary proof, such as a letter from the hospital where they were born, an immunization card, names of siblings, or a record from the school they attended – all documents that a genuine applicant already has or can readily obtain.”

“…We raised the alarm then that the PPP intended to affect thousands of birth registrations, particularly in those far-flung hinterland regions, using an established network of PPP/C aligned Justices of the Peace, Toshaos, and Notaries Public.”

According to Norton, the danger is compounded by the fact that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) now conducts office-based registration without verification of residence, as the PPP has also removed the residency requirement from the Registration Act (ROPA). The adding of persons to a register that are not legitimately entitled undermines the integrity of the population, and can lead to anomalies in the allocation of resources and voting and representation.

RIGHTS OF REFUGEES

The Opposition Leader noted nonetheless that despite these deep concerns, they remain committed to the comfortable settlement of these economic refugees in our homeland – as a demonstration of Guyanese hospitality and full compliance with our international humanitarian obligations to refugees.

The UN Convention of Refugees, under which Guyana is obligated to accept refugees,  spells out clearly that they are entitled to such rights as to employment, education, health care, internal travel, and housing. “International law, however, makes a clear distinction between migrants and refugees. In particular, there is no obligation for States to grant political rights to refugees. Each nation has to assess its own particular circumstances.  As it relates to their recommendation for Government to address to refugee situation, the Opposition Leaders called for increased monitoring of the border entry points, better intelligence gathering by the army.

Ramjattan said specifically, that “The government can call us to the table because we should be able to pose questions to head of the Guyana Defence Force on this matter and receive answers concerning the situation.”

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• A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Alliance For Change (AFC), opposition, refugees, Venezuelan

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