Your Eyewitness has taken note that Suriname’s Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin has been elected as Secretary General of the OAS – Organization of American States – and our Govt has extended congratulations to him.
Now, while we must follow the tradition of “all protocols observed” in diplomacy, let’s not get carried away with the hoopla that, because he’s the first “Caribbean” diplomat to receive that honour, it’s also a plus for us. Let’s not forget that, last November 29, Ramdin summarily summoned our ambassador, Depoo, to protest our developing an airstrip and medical clinic in OUR New River Triangle (NRT) that borders his country in the Deep South.
Imagine the nerve!!! We’re developing our country, and we must get permission from Suriname?? Well, to understand Ramdin’s nerve, we gotta remind ourselves of the fact that, just as Venezuela claims our Essequibo, Suriname claims all 6000 square miles of our NRT – more than three Trinidads!! – And we must be cautious that this man now heads an organization that includes all the countries of the Americas, excepting Cuba and Nicaragua. And that’s because those two countries are communist, and the OAS was formed back in 1948 to fight communism!!
The OAS is headquartered in Washington DC, and it’s widely conceded that it’s controlled by America, which provides half its funding.
And Ramdin – while not in a controlling role – is now in a critical position to influence what gets on to the agenda of the OAS. And here’s where their NRT claim can get greater exposure to the rest of the continent. Back in 1996, when Suriname applied to become a member of Caricom, we coulda blocked them on account of the dirty deed they’d done in 1969: to actually send a military force to seize and occupy the NRT!! It was the same year that Venezuela had backed the Rupununi Uprising to hive off the 20,000 sq miles of the Rupununi — much as they had done with our half of Ankoko Island, which they’ve occupied since 1966, and are amassing troops there right now!!
We had to send in a brave band of GDF soldiers in a makeshift air attack to drive off the Surinamese from our NRT – and they’ve never forgiven us for the humiliation of their men running into the jungle like scared deer!!
We must alert our people that we are under attack from two sides in an era when the old verities of the international order are in a flux. We cannot take anything for granted. While we can hope for the best, we must plan for the worst, and part of that “worst” is that the Foreign Minister of a state that claims 6000 sq miles of our territory heads the OAS!!
…of throwing around money
There’s a new trend in Guyanese politics. Used to be we practised “Doctor Politics”. Ordinary folks who’d been kept down on the plantation, and the farm, looked up to those who got into the professions through earning a university degree – like doctors or lawyers – and could “talk back” and take on the white man!! Don’t forget that Jagan was a dentist and Burnham was a lawyer.
But as things heat up for the coming elections – that gotta be held before the year is out – we notice that two lawyers had to drop out from the PNC sweepstakes, and another one from the AFC seemed to’ve started out too early from the paddock and has lost steam. Enter a new breed that we can only call “moneybags”!! One of them seemed to’ve broken into Fort Knox, and is determined to spend it all before the Yanks collar him!! The other one has a gazillion of fast-food franchises that act like a mint!!
We does like fatty foods!!
…of what you ask for
Mad Maduro clearly thinks Dealer Trump’s gonna give him a free pass because he wants his oil. While he’s correct on the latter premise, he’s forgotten the best deal is when you get something for nothing!!
