KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – The main opposition, the New Democratic Party, has expressed its support for Guyana amidst the ongoing border conflict in which Venezuela is claiming the Essequibo, which is two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass and home to one-fifth of its population.
“… first of all, this is a severe regional problem. We cannot take this lightly,” Opposition leader Godwin Friday said on his weekly radio program earlier this week.
“This is a dire situation, and it has become more and more urgent because of the various actions that have been taken by the government of Maduro in Venezuela.”
Friday noted that the matter is awaiting adjudication before the International Court of Justice, which has ruled that it has jurisdiction to settle the conflict.
He further noted the 1899 arbitral award on the borders, adding, “And this is something that had been settled.
“But now it has arisen, and the international community has urged the use of the legal process established to resolve this matter in accordance with international law and practice.”
Guyana’s president, Irfaan Ali, has said that his government will take the border issue to the United Nations (UN) after “unsettling developments” about the “unlawful claim by Caracas to the mineral-rich Essequibo region in Guyana.”
Ali said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday night “announced several measures which his government intends to take in enforcing the outcome of the referendum held on December 3, 2023”.
On Sunday, about 10.5 million Venezuelans, just over half of the 20.6 million eligible voters, cast ballots in a referendum on whether Caracas should claim sovereignty over Essequibo.
“You can’t unilaterally just have a referendum and say, well, listen, we want two-thirds of any country and that if your people vote for it, it becomes yours. I mean, if that were the case, you’d have chaos, you won’t have any rule of law, it’d just be the powerful and the mighty, will reign supreme,” said Friday.
Friday, a lawyer, supported the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) position, headquartered in the Guyanese capital.
“So the position that CARICOM has adopted says that the international process, legal process must be followed, that the territorial integrity of Guyana is intact and that the ruling that the International Court of Justice made… to say that until the matter is resolved, in its totality, that the matter is litigated, and they make a final ruling, that the situation should remain as is — the status quo shall be maintained and there can’t be any unilateral annexation of any part of Guyana,” the opposition leader said.
“That is a position that the international community supports, a position that the New Democratic Party supports, and one that we proclaim. That is the process that needs to be followed by the parties involved.”
He noted that Guyana has established its willingness to submit to that process over the years.
“But it takes two to tango. “And so, of course, we urge the parties to let that process play out…” Friday said
The opposition leader said the matter should be resolved through the judicial process.
“That’s how good civilized countries nowadays are urged to behave. There’s a rule of law, international law, and domestic law. Let that apply. And then that will provide a more lasting solution to avoid violence.”
The opposition leader noted that oil was discovered in Guyana about a decade ago.
“And so, it has become a potentially transformative economic situation for them,” he said, noting that the CARICOM nation had auctioned more blocks to oil companies to extract oil.
“Unfortunately, since that discovery, the tensions have grown, and Venezuela has urged its claim more insistently over the past several years.”
“… as friends of countries in the region, the Venezuelan people, the people of Guyana, I’m sure that nobody wants this matter to deteriorate into a terrible conflagration. Let’s hope that that is not the case,” the opposition leader said.
“There is now hope that the process will go through the legal process, and CARICOM has adopted this position in support of Guyana’s position and the international community. The vast majority of the countries seem to be in favor of that as well. And we urge the parties to follow that process and have this international law peacefully.”
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