This must not be our hour of humiliation

Apr 06, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- There are moments in the history of nations when fate lays before them a choice not of convenience, but of character. When the coward chooses the easier path, the brave must choose the higher ground. Today, Guyana stands at such a crossroads. The imposition by the United States of a 38% tariff on our exports is not mere economics—it is an affront, an assault on our sovereignty, and a direct challenge to our nationhood and that of the rest of the world.

Let there be no illusions: the United States of America has declared not a hot war, but an economic war on Guyana. And this—this! —must not be our hour of humiliation.

We have been told to take comfort in the fact that our principal exports are exempted. That our oil, gold and aluminum ore will continue to flow uninterrupted. But we are no fools. We know that when a bully raises his hand, it is not only the first blow we must watch—but the next, and the next. Today it is 38% on secondary exports. Tomorrow it may be our entire economy. What is at stake is not one shipment or one commodity, but the principle that any nation, large or small, has a right to determine its own destiny without being brought to heel by tariff threats and economic coercion.

This is not the time to cower behind diplomatic platitudes. This is not the hour for mealy-mouthed talk about America’s right to set its policies. Of course, America has that right—but Guyana has the right to resist those policies when they are unjust. This is no mere domestic regulation by the Americans. We must be alarmed when one of our top leaders can so frame the imposition of reciprocal tariffs.

This is a declaration, by the most powerful nation on Earth, that our rise, our aspirations must be sacrificed, that we must be punished to make America Great Again.

But we are not alone. The 10% baseline tariffs are a warning shot to the Caribbean, to the developing world, and to every nation that dares to walk with pride; bend, or be broken.

And so, we must choose. Do we kneel—or do we stand? Do we become a people who shrink from confrontation, or a people who rally in resistance?

The answer is clear.  We must resist! We must resist not with hatred, not with recklessness, but with iron determination and national unity.

We have seen before what the spirit of our people can achieve when threatened. When Venezuela rattled its sabres and laid claim to what is rightfully ours, we did not scatter—we stood as one. So too now, let us come together in defiance and dignity.

This is not a time for weakness. We cannot allow those who seek compromise under the guise of “clarification” to speak for us. A bully is not placated by feebleness. A bully is emboldened by weakness. We do not embrace bullies—we stand up to them. Let the Americans see that Guyana will not roll over. We will not retreat with begging bowls and telephone calls. We will not trade our dignity for temporary relief.

Let us stand as one nation, shoulder to shoulder. Let this be our moment of steel. Let every home fly the Golden Arrowhead. Let every vehicle on every road carry the flag. Let the world—and yes, let Donald Trump himself—see that this small country in South America stands not alone, but together. Let us say with one voice: we will not be broken; we will not be bought; we will not be bullied.

Let the call go out across every village and town, from Berbice to Bartica, from Lethem to Linden—Guyana stands tall! Let no citizen buy American goods while this tariff injustice remains. We can and must send a signal. We will not drink their drinks, we will not wear their brands, we will not fund their economy while they threaten ours. Our oil must not find its way to America until this is resolved. Exxon must not be allowed to export our oil to America until this plague of tariffs is withdrawn. We are a small country, yes—but we are not a timid one.

In the end, yes, we must talk. We must negotiate. But not as beggars. Not as those who first prostrated themselves before the master’s table. No! Let us come to the table, heads high, principles firm. We do not want conflict. But we will not buy peace at the price of our pride. We will not trade our children’s future to appease a foreign president’s tantrum.

Where are our leaders who will not falter? Where are those who will plant their feet and say, “Enough!”—who will speak not only for political advantage, but for posterity? The time has come for resolve, not retreat. For unity, not division. For courage, not cowardice.

This is no time to whisper of concessions. This is the hour to roar for justice. Let Guyana stand united—not in fear, but in faith. Faith in our strength. Faith in our people. Faith that though we may be small, we are not insignificant. We are Guyanese. We are free. And we will not go quietly into submission.

Unite, Guyana. Unite now, or regret forever. Let this not be our hour of humiliation—but our finest hour of resistance.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)   

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