Dear Editor,
Absolute silence; that was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MFA’s) response to the allegation that it had severely compromised Guyana’s sovereignty by accepting funding for its G77 Chairmanship team. While MFA officials sealed themselves in the bunker, events deemed ‘passing strange’ before were being viewed in a different light, and questions were being asked internationally about the G77 Chairman Rudolph Ten-Pow’s address at the United Nations’ fifty-eight session of the Commission on Social Development on February 10.
Locally, the discussion has centred around the demand by China that Guyana would not bring up the Guyana-Venezuela Border claim at the G77 in return for the slightly more than six million US dollars China will pay the handful of diplomats to ‘represent’ us. This mess of pottage stinks to the high heavens.
When Ambassador Ten-Pow delivered the twelfth paragraph, which said in its entirety: “The Group expresses its full support to the comprehensive efforts made by the Government of China to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and recognizes China’s efforts in extending cooperation with the international community”, it sent shockwaves through the diplomatic community. Never before had an entire paragraph of a G77 Chair’s address been dedicated to the praise of one country. Guyana was boldly setting precedent and going against decades of practice and norms.
Then the JJ&B Dossier fiasco erupted, which caused even more problems for Guyana, the MFA, and relations with China. Make no mistake, the Government of Guyana contracted and paid JJ& B LLC, Bart Fischer, Michael Granger, and others to concoct an alternate narrative to the truth of what transpired during the SOP verification exercise for Region Four. Additionally, the service was contracted to create a wedge between the USA and the party democratically elected to govern Guyana, using a tale of a PPPC/China/Russia conspiracy. This move backfired spectacularly; China is no longer courting covert friendships, and Beijing was not amused at the Granger Administration’s characterization, and in true fashion of one who pays the piper, they started calling the tune.
President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, David Granger, was forced to deny his government played any part in the hiring of JJ&B LLC and the offensive dossier, but China did not stop there; Joe Harmon, the signatory on the JJ&B contract, was forced out of his all-powerful office of Director-General and was replaced by Mark Kirton.
Here is where it gets very interesting, for Kirton was also tapped to be the temporary head of the MFA when Karen Cummings was asked to resign. In the spirit of the prevailing anarchy, Cummings refused to resign and Kirton has been human flotsam since. Mark Kirton’s new job now allows him to repair relations with China; MFA has also been doing repair work.
On the 25th April, an Information Note emanating from MFA (since removed from its website), reaffirmed in glorious terms the decades of beneficial partnership, noted the visit of State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, in 2018. The communiqué ended with both sides resolving to work towards the strengthening of “deep and robust relations that exist between the two states”. China is asserting its dominance over the Granger Administration and is ensuring all and sundry are aware.
Guyanese often speak of being ‘put on the map’ by the exploits of its daughters and sons. We are firmly there now, in this Year of the Rat. Granger’s hand is in the Dragon’s mouth, and he is feebly patting its head. The Bear is in hibernation, and the Bald Eagle is watching with piercing eyes from on high. The maxim ‘be careful what you wish for’ could not be more apt, I do hope there is space in the MFA bunker for all of us when the boots hit the ground.
Respectfully,
Robin Singh
