Guyana is prepared, there’s nothing to fear – Pres Ali tells Muslim community

– as CIOG hosts National Day of Prayers

As Guyanese turned out in their numbers against Venezuela’s referendum which seeks to annex Essequibo and create a Venezuelan state, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Irfaan Ali joined the Muslim community in a day of public awareness and prayers.
The National Day of Prayers was organised by the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), which saw scores of people from the Muslim community turning up at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) on Sunday.

During his address to the gathering, President Ali reiterated Guyana’s position, which is to resolve the border controversy amicably, noting that Guyana’s role in this challenging time is to create a new benchmark and framework in which conflict can be managed.
On the other hand, the President reiterated that no stone will be left unturned if Venezuela tries to annex the region unlawfully and forcibly.
He noted that Guyana has benefitted from robust training through its defence partnerships with the United States and other partners, and if the border controversy path to resolve is redirected into violence, Guyana’s Disciplined Services are prepared to defend and protect the nation.
“We stand on the right side of democracy, we stand on the right side of the rule of law, we stand on the right side of principle, we stand on the right side of honour, we have nothing to fear… our objective is peace, our objective is bringing our people together in this Region, but make no mistake, make no mistake, there’s another song, don’t catch us wanting, you won’t catching us wanting in lack of preparedness,” he added.
President Ali said the actions of Nicolas Maduro’s Government pose a grave threat to the sanctity of international law, regional stability and humanity, including to Venezuelans. Due to this, he urged Guyanese to have empathy, love, courage and compassion for Venezuelan migrants here.

“The actions in Venezuela are bringing more injustice to the people of Venezuela. We have to show them more empathy when their own leaders are not showing them empathy… I assure you as President of Guyana, as Commander in Chief, I take these responsibilities seriously, these responsibilities form the core around the principle through which we manage this challenge towards a path of peace, hope and dignity,” he said.

Venezuela referendum
Last month, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council published a list of five questions that it planned to put before its people in a referendum. One such was the Venezuelan people’s approval to, among other things, annex Essequibo and create a Venezuelan state. It also sought the citizens’ approval for Venezuela to grant citizenship and identity cards to residents of Essequibo.
However, Guyana had approached the ICJ and on Friday, the World Court barred Venezuela from taking any action to challenge Guyana’s sovereignty over Essequibo, but in a subsequent release issued by the Venezuelan Government, it stated that the referendum would proceed as planned.

Guyana stands in solidarity
Following Venezuela’s signals to not resolve the border controversy case at the level of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the opposition political parties, civil society, private sector organisations and the general public joined the Government in support of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which finalised the demarcations for the Guyana/Venezuela border some 124 years ago.
This demonstration of unity was displayed during public engagements, sensitisation sessions, business gatherings and via social media. On Sunday, citizens showed up in their numbers joining hands to demonstrate unity.
According to the Head of State, “Venezuela has awakened the fearless Guyanese spirit to the depth of its core”.