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Close Relationship with USA and lobbying
Dear Editor,
Reference is drawn to editorial (Jan 23) and letter (Feb 13) questioning Guyana’s close relationship with Washington and expending over US$1M annually on an American lobbyist firm to lobby the USA government for favourable policies towards Guyana. I disagree with both arguments.
It has been my consistent position since 1977 when I first arrived in USA to pursue tertiary education that Guyana should have very warm, friendly relations with Washington. Since 1965, Guyanese have been flocking to USA, perhaps totaling over a million. They have been sending tens of millions in American dollars plus millions more in materials annually to Guyana and since the 1970s, accounting for some 20% of our annual budget and GDP. Washington was also generous in giving assistance to and supporting loans for Guyana. Close relationship with USA benefited Guyana’s economy, our people, and the diaspora. When Guyana steered away from Washington, as it did during the period from 1976 thru 1992, the country suffered. The economy collapsed. Washington also served as a bulwark against Venezuela aggression. Guyana was protected from a close linkage with USA.
Lobbying Washington has also served Guyana’s interests. Governance in USA is that of lobbying writers like me know from our studies in political science. Various interest groups seek to lobby Washington and various state capitals and cities. Politicians pay heed to lobbyists. And lobbyists are paid big bucks by clients like Guyana, India, etc. A group of activists and I, since 1977, endlessly sought to convince other USA based activists affiliated with political parties in Guyana to lobby American politicians to win them over in support of our struggle for restoration of democracy and holding free and fair elections in Guyana.
The position of communists was they would rather live under an authoritarian communist dictatorship than lobby what they described as “the imperialists of Washington to institutionalize democracy in our homely. So the country suffered until communism collapsed in 1990, paving the way for return of capitalism and democracy in Guyana. When communism collapsed, the left wing parties of Guyana and their support groups in USA began to lobby Washington for the return of democracy in the homeland. Had the left parties themselves lobbied and or encouraged their supporters in America to lobby Washington, democracy would have been restored long before 1992. I also think lobbying Washington has helped us in our border controversy with Venezuela. President Trump has removed from office Nicolas Maduro who has been threatening to seize two thirds of our territory. Lobbyists are not cheap. Democracy is also not cheap; it is better than under authoritarian rule. Won’t we would be better off paying American lobbyists to live in a democracy. Or do some prefer to live under a left-wing dictatorship?
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
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