Have we descended or ascended to the position that supports “might is right”?

Jan 07, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

Since the military assault which resulted in the reported death of forty Venezuelans and the physical removal of sitting President Nicolas Maduro, his wife and some colleagues, to face trial for alleged narco crimes in the United States, the statement by our President Irfaan Ali is one that is bothersome.

Why he had to go out of his way to shower encomium on the person who orchestrated this military assault on a sovereign state is akin to being pusillanimous and unnecessary in all of the circumstances.

The earlier founders of the People’s Progressive Party, the likes of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Janet Rosenburg Jagan, Boysie Ramkaran, Brother Mohamed from the East Coast, Forbes Burnham, Jane Philips-Gaye, Sydney King, Dr. JP Latchman Singh, Joselin Hubburd, Jainarine Singh and others, must be turning and weeping where ever they are. These brave Guyanese sought to free us from the consequences of imperialism, the inhumanity of slavery, the hardships of indentureship and the scares of colonial exploitation. On a matter that should require meaningful consultation it appears that President Ali did not deem it necessary to consult parliament and the leader of the opposition, a position that has not been filled thanks to the machinations of the Speaker, with the apparent complicity of our Head of State.

Did the President deem it necessary on this important matter to consult with the seniors and experienced members of his own party, such as his immediate predecessor President Donald Ramotar who has with wisdom and courage written on this matter, has he consulted with what is termed civil society and the independent media?

Let me make it abundantly clear that for myself and many of us, we will always love the United States and its people, we will always cherish a kinship with the US, we will always be grateful for the opportunities for upward mobility that our big neighbour to the north has provided for many Guyanese over the years.

However, as is the case within the family unit, husband, wife, father, mother, cousin, auntie, uncle, grandma, grandpa if a family member breaks the law or steps out of line, we must deem it our duty to say so. When someone you care for is in breach of the established norms we must be bold to speak up, it appears the old wisdom that the “pen is mightier than the sword”, which originated in the 1839 play “Richelieu”, spoken by the character Cardinal Richelieu, is losing or has lost its relevance and validity.

Have we descended or ascended to the position taken in early Greek philosophical thinking that supports the idea that power determines justice, in other words “might is right”. In today’s world we have seen it over the last century operated by so-called people and States that simply put “might is right”, remember what triggered the US revolution against King George III in 1776 which stated the right of every nation to determine its own destiny, some folks have interpreted this to mean that it also give them the right to determine the destiny of other people.

I have written before why would any sane and sensible Guyanese feel that the removal of Maduro would lessen the threat to Guyana? Why would we believe that who ever succeeds Maduro, by what ever means, would be less hawkish, less interested in pursuing the spurious claim to Essequibo? This matter is like a religious doctrine instilled in the minds of every Venezuelan child from the day they are in the cradle and can learn and communicate.

President Ali’s concern, now that he has this enormous wealth, should be to pursue the ideas contained in the document “Defence in Depth”, which included encouraging Guyanese of every class to settle and produce food, and generate wealth in areas along our eastern, western, southern borders. Guyana by deeds not words, should be brought together to deal with the serious threat to our territorial integrity, and not be mislead into believing that the removal of Maduro or anyone else would lessen the danger to any of our 83,000 square miles. Our oil and gold should be managed with good sense, and not be used for regime change by anyone.

Sincerely,
Hamilton Green

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Hamilton Green, Letters, narco crimes, Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela

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Have we descended or ascended to the position that supports “might is right”?

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