Norton calls on Government to halt issuing documents to Venezuela migrants 

Nov 07, 2023 News

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– says proper register, system must be put in place to evaluate each applicant

Kaieteur News – Amid a rush of Venezuelans migrants to this country, some fleeing the harsh economic conditions of their homeland, Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton on Monday said that the government should halt issuing documents to them and put in place a proper register and a system to evaluate each applicant, screen and monitor their activities.

Speaking on the motion to support for the government and people of Guyana and reaffirming recognition of the 1899 Arbitral Award and the 1966 Geneva Agreement during a special sitting of the National Assembly, Norton said it will be naïve of us to believe that Venezuela will not send its agents into Guyana.  In offer, the Coalition’s support for the resolution of the motion, Norton told the House: “We have already taken steps to prove our seriousness in this matter by issuing a joint statement with the government. We have a caveat; it is we urge the government to put the question of the education of the population on this matter on a permanent basis. The Territorial Controversy must be in our schools, studied by our academics at the University, must be part of the discussions of the Trade Unions NGOs, the Private Sector, and with every segment of our society regardless of which party is in power.

In this regard, we wish to recommend the formation of a nonpartisan and non-political Commission on which experts can sit and offer recommendations on this vital question. The handiwork of the state and society we have fashioned over many long years must endure.”

Freedom to build

Norton told the House that as Guyana develops, “our people yearned for the freedom to build our own society and create our own destiny. Many contributed to this great experiment, including our own Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan, once distinguished members of this Honourable House. Political freedom eventually came in 1966. Even though it is hard to accept it, that freedom was qualified by threats to our territorial integrity and sovereignty.”  He said that of all the colonial territories which have gained independence none has reached that milestone with neighbouring countries making substantial claims to its national patrimony. “But as we all know both Suriname and Venezuela cast covetous eyes on our land. In other words, the hard work that we as a people had put into the creation of a country and society was going to be taken away from us. That will not happen. Of the two claims to our land, by far the more sinister and persistent would come from our neighbour to the West, Venezuela. I am sure that this Honourable House will bear with me as I briefly recount the background to this threat to our territorial integrity,” Norton declared.

He however, said that Guyanese must not tire of learning about this threat from Venezuela. He said the background history must become our catechism. “We must understand and inwardly digest the fact that all we have achieved, indeed our way of life, is threatened by the persistent greed of our Western neighbour. This is a threat like no other. Venezuela seeks our entire Essequibo region, our richest county.”  Quoting former diplomat, Dr. Odeen Ishmael from his book “The Trail of Diplomacy,” Norton Norton noted the diplomat saying: “The part claimed by Venezuela is extremely rich in forest, water, and mineral resources. For instance, the Imaraka Mountain range extending into both Guyana and Venezuela has huge deposits of iron ore. In addition, manganese deposits are located in the Northwest district of Guyana while gold and diamonds, among other minerals, are found in the Barima, Mazaruni, Cuyuni, and Potaro districts.”

In addition, Norton said “we know that we have oil because oil has been found by Exxon Mobil and other major oil companies. Guyana cannot afford to lose this treasure. Recent discovery and production of oil have resulted in an intensification of Venezuela’s greed.”  The Leader of the Opposition said indeed, it can be said that throughout the demanding and challenging period of the Controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, there would be a slew of mistruths on the part of Caracas from the dismissal of the significance of the 1899 Arbitral Award to the true historical meaning of the 1966 Geneva Agreement. “It has also sent up a cloud of misinformation when it was caught violating our territorial integrity. In the words of a British Statesman, the representatives of the Republic of Venezuela are often economical with the truth.”

Disregard for international law

Norton said as a student of politics and international relations, he has been intrigued by Venezuela’s almost casual disregard for international agreements as far as Guyana is concerned. “I have therefore examined Venezuela’s behaviour over the decades and I have come to the conclusion that its flouting of international norms and mores is a mechanism to facilitate its geo-political ambitions. That Caracas has strategic ambitions in the Caribbean is beyond dispute. As early as 1955, it had proposed that certain Caribbean sates should be handed over to it. And in the Mixed Commission created by the 1966 Geneva Agreement, Venezuela proposed the Joint Development of the Essequibo. Is our population aware of this and its significance? Are some of our politicians aware of this? We cannot concede an inch to Venezuela. We must see Venezuela as an adversary that wants our territory. We must remember that Venezuela always comes up with some scheme to get our territory. We have to be ever vigilant,” the Leader of the Opposition told the House.

Regional bully

Norton said Venezuela has proved to be nothing but a regional bully, noting that the 1899 Arbitral Award was the basis of the tri-junction point which fixed the boundaries for Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil. “In this exercise, Caracas lost territory to Brazil but has never once contested the legitimacy of the Award with Brasilia. Yet it has done so with the smaller state of Guyana. It reminds one of the Melina dialogues in the 5th century, where the great Historian Thucydides, made the Greeks say during the Peloponnesian war, tell the lowly Melians that the powerful have the right to rule the weaker state. But our Western neighbour is mistaken in the belief that Guyana will succumb to its bullyism and its attempt to take over our land and its riches. We will never,” Norton affirmed.

Referencing the impending referendum proposed by Venezuela to annex the Essequibo, the Leader of the Opposition said the mobilising of troops on Guyana’s border by the Nicolas Maduro administration is an attempt to regain popularity and appease a volatile people, and end the apparent erosion among his political bases. “This is a dangerous game. What happens if Maduro gets the “Yes” vote which he and his top officials are campaigning for? What does he do before or after he wins the elections next year? He might decide to take direct military action using a potential fifth column in our midst. Whatever happens in this neighbouring state? We must be prepared. This opportunity must be taken to condemn the attempt by Venezuela to withdraw from the judicial process under the guise of a referendum. The peaceful settlement of the Controversy demands the Venezuela adhere to international law and mores. Permit me to also register our support for the decision to approach the ICJ for provisional measures against the convening of that sinister referendum,” Norton asserted.

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• Aubrey Norton, Economic, Leader of the Opposition, migrants, Venezuela

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