This Caricom Heads of Government (HoG) Conference has turned out to be quite a bash – attracting all sorts of big ones and then some to join the 15 regional Heads! Leading the charge was the US Representative to the UN; followed by the Secty General of the Commonwealth, US Asst Secty of State, UK’s Minister for the Americas, Canada’s Minister of International Development, and others. They showed up doling out oodles of loans for our development drive; and, not-so-incidentally, to show solidarity with us and our “territorial integrity”.
Brazil’s Lula’s was jetted in yesterday, and met Pres Ali separately: to discuss the Venezuelan border controversy; in addition to addressing the Caricom leaders, Lula would proceed to St Vincent to participate in the opening of the 8th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) – where he will meet Mad Maduro. It’s been already publicised that he would be trying to dampen the tensions that the latter has created in the last year, which culminated in his “annexation decree” over our Essequibo. There’s nothing wrong with Lula acting as an intermediary in the controversy, but we gotta be careful there aren’t too many wheels within wheels turning.
That is what happened with that other interlocutor, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, at the Argyle Meeting last year. It might just be the pics chosen by the press, but in NONE of them – including those on social media – did your Eyewitness see Ralph and Mia hugging Pres Ali and cooing into his ears!! It was revealed later that Mad Maduro had greased wheels in St Vincent and Barbados, and their leaders had to, at best, straddle the fence in relation to us; or, at worst, lean in Venezuela’s direction.
While Brazil and Venezuela have been historic rivals for bragging rights as #1 in Latin America, we can never allow another country to speak authoritatively for us. Every country will act in its own interest, and we can’t assume that Brazil’s will coincide with ours on all fours. We gotta always act on the assumption in international affairs that we can be sold down the river: in this arena, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies; just permanent interests. So, your Eyewitness hopes that Lula has been told in no uncertain terms: NOT A BLADE OF GRASS!!
But back to the HoG Conference. With the UK tripling the funds available for accessing as concessional loans from their ExImp facility, and the IDB facilitating a grant from Canada, this just illustrates the axion that money comes to money. With oil money flowing into our coffers, these countries are pretty certain they’ll be repaid.
We just gotta be careful that we balance our anticipated income flow with our debt servicing obligations. Oil prices are VERY volatile!!
…for democracy
But it wasn’t only the Government that was getting the full court press by the foreign big wigs. The US Asst Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs met Guyana’s Opposition leaders to discuss strong U.S. support for Guyana’s territorial integrity, and shared democratic values and emphasis on citizen security.
Your Eyewitness would’ve liked to be a fly on the wall when the fella engaged AFC’s Ramjattan and PNC’s Norton.
Did Ramjattan share with him the secret as to how he’d blown the cover of the Russian spy who’d entered Guyana to rig our elections?? After all, with accusations that Russia had also interfered with US elections in 2020 and elections due there this year, your Eyewitness is sure the Biden Administration wants to know.
As for Norton, maybe he revealed to the guy how the US “installed the PPP regime”, which is ipso facto “illegal”.
And the joinder party?? Whether they’ll “survive in twenty-five”!!
…for recolonization
Trinidad’s been the third fattest country in the world for years. Their Health Minister called out the foreign fast-food outlets: “The Caribbean’s always been colonised in a way that doesn’t serve our best interest. Today, we’re colonised by the brands.” Word!!
