Caribbean Solidarity Network - Statement on Guyana
The Caribbean Solidarity Network stands with the people of the Caribbean in demanding that the region continue to be a zone of peace. The recent news that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be visiting Guyana between September 17 and 18, in a bilateral visit that bypasses regional institutions, is deeply concerning given the ongoing efforts by the United States to drum up regional opposition to Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, as well as the failure of the recently elected Irfaan Ali government, so far, to issue a statement in relation to its position on neighbouring Venezuela.
In terms of geopolitical importance, we should all be asking why such attention is now being placed on the region, in the run-up to what is sure to be a tightly contested US election? Delivering on a foreign policy promise of regime change in Venezuela would be an easy way to highlight the “global leadership” of the Trump administration, as Venezuela continues to sit in a precarious position, weakened by sanctions, embargoes, and trade restrictions which have all been compounded by COVID-19. The US track record of imperialist intervention would only intensify the suffering of the Venezuelan people, as demonstrated by the tragic cases of Libya, Syria, Iraq, Honduras and Haiti.
As one of the two Caribbean members of the Lima Group (along with St. Lucia), we see this as an effort by the United States to fracture regional unity on foreign policy matters, this time using Guyana as a geopolitical pawn. The Lima Group lacks both regional and international legitimacy, and has demonstrated that it is little more than an instrument to further regime change efforts in Venezuela; we say this because of the Lima Group’s selective concern with regional human rights issues, including racial injustice and anti-Black structural racism inside the USA as no similar grouping has emerged to deal with documented abuses by the government of Jovenel Moïse in Haiti, the longstanding record of state violence against Afro-Colombian human rights defenders, or against Garifuna leaders in Honduras.
Furthermore, in terms of human rights, Guyana is in the midst of a very turbulent time with regard to its own domestic racial conflict - and being drawn into a web of regional conflict at a time when the country is so tragically divided is the last thing the Guyanese people need. The priority of the Guyanese state should be re-focusing the entirety of their attention and resources to diffuse these domestic tensions, and continuing to ensure that justice is served for all of the victims of racial violence. Part of this can be done through a statement - supported by all across the political spectrum and with the full support of Parliament - outlining the continuation of non-intervention in Venezuela, and turning attention back to pressing domestic matters.
The Caribbean Solidarity Network echoes the position of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) which has urged the government “to make public, well in advance of the visit, what are the non-negotiable elements with respect to Venezuela” and that “any attempt to entangle Guyana in other political initiatives which undermine Guyana’s position on the border dispute must not be entertained under any circumstances.”