Impressions of the extraordinary sitting of Parliament

Dear Editor,
It is good to see those differences between the Government and the Opposition have been overcome to reach agreement on the meaning of the actions being taken by Venezuela. However, there is a need for immediate preventive action to be taken by the Parliament. The speeches were very passionate and informative, but we must also increase our military presence along the border.
We must act now in order to prevent a repeat of what previously occurred with Venezuela’s taking of Ankoko Island. When this had occurred, the USA intervened afterwards, but no portion of the island was ever returned. If Venezuela uses their increased military presence at the border to make a further push for land in Essequibo, Guyana will be at risk of losing more of our territory.
This is most likely to occur after their referendum to annex all of Essequibo. Even if the ICJ rules in our favour, enforcement of the ruling can lead to an escalation in the conflict. We must also remember that Venezuela is very close to Iran, who has been helping it avoid the embargo put in place by the west. Iran is also threatening the USA and Israel with military action in the Middle East due to the current conflict with the Palestinians/Philistines. Terrorist organisations have also called for the attack on USA citizens and USA’s assets across the globe.
This places Exxon ‘s assets offshore of Guyana at risk in what the Venezuelan’s see as the illegal taking of their resources. This is not true, but we must consider the Venezuelan perspective and the risks it poses. By taking immediate action to bring the USA’s, the UK’s and the EU’s military to our border with Venezuela for military exercises with the GDF we can help prevent a larger military conflict with Venezuela and its allies (Iran, Russia, China and Turkey).
Guyana is in very close proximity to the USA, and our relationship with the USA is stronger than it has ever been before. We also have a strong relationship with Russia and China, but we must remember that Venezuela has a key resource in oil and each of the powerful countries mentioned would benefit from winning a military conflict that results in obtaining advantageous access to those resources. Therefore, preventing Venezuela from taking military action is of utmost importance.
China is increasingly showing a willingness to start military action against the USA as seen in the conflict over Taiwan, and Russia is already at war with Ukraine (who is supported by the USA and their allies). This is why it is imperative that we take this preventive step and bring in military forces from our allies to our border with Venezuela. It will help prevent the further loss of our “sacrificial” territory and also prevent Venezuela from starting another theatre of military conflict that can escalate into a global war.
The previous presence of Russian submarines in the waters off the coast of Venezuela is a sign of what could occur if Venezuela is allowed to take military action that has to be responded to with force. Prevention is key to ensuring no such conflict occurs, and the best form of prevention is with increased military presence at the border that will deter Venezuela from invading. We must act now!

With concern,
Jamil Changlee