Recall our ambassador

Dear Editor,
We in Guyana have every reason to recall our Ambassador to Venezuela.
We must do so in protest against the swearing-in of Maduro as the winner of Venezuela’s recent elections. We must do so in protest against the planned election of a governor for Essequibo, and we should have already done so in protest against the establishment of a Venezuelan military base on our land at the border.
These are reasons that would have caused any other country to break diplomatic relations with an aggressor country; yet, to date, we have strengthened diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Government cannot allow nostalgic memories of our past with Venezuela to slow down our responses to their actions. Guyana is no longer a communist or socialist country, and we must not act as an unwilling nation in our own best interest. Reluctance to act swiftly and decisively in the face of Venezuelan aggression does raise eyebrows in the capitalist and free world.
Are the communist roots of the current Government too deep? Why hasn’t Guyana taken the expected steps in breaking diplomatic relations with Venezuela? If democracy is as important as is claimed, then we must protest Maduro’s denial of it in Venezuela. If the Essequibo is truly ours, then we must protest Maduro’s claim and plans to govern it. If our sovereignty and the settlement of our dispute via the International Court of Justice is important to us, then we must protest against Maduro’s military buildup at the border.
Our Government cannot continue to be weak on national security. We cannot afford a government that feigns the ways of the free world, but takes actions that one would expect from a communist or socialist regime. If Maduro and his regime are the enemy, then the decision that should be made is clear. It is time to recall our ambassador to Venezuela, and it is time for their ambassador to leave!

Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee