Respond to Maduro’s immediate threat
DEAR EDITOR,
That the state of Venezuelan readiness to fight for their ‘Guayana Esequiba’ is now at a point approaching “ground zero” for the residents of East Bank Essequibo, which is very close to my home on the West Coast of Demerara, is worrying me , and as well as a former officer in the Canadian army, a Combat Arms component, in the Regular Force, and who has studied military law and passed the same, through the Officer Professional Development Program offered to soldiers by the National Defense Headquarters, I am very interested in knowing the design and implementation of any Defense plans or policies. Irfaan Ali, as he is the Commander of the GDF, because ultimately those plans and policies are his responsibility as Executive President, not Carl Greenidge or Hugh Todd, as neither Guyanese can this plan and implement policies that deal with Guyana’s National Defense.
As I understand it, Mr Maduro, is strongly supported by all Venezuelans, male and female, adults and children, all of whom have one individual desire – that is, to “conquer Guayana Esequiba” and they have given Maduro that mandate.
This saw unanimous, consensual and consensual support from all political factions in the Venezuela National Assembly.
Indeed, Maduro’s decree has seen a full legal vetting and reached its conclusion last week. Venezuela can now declare war and kill every individual considered a threat to their national security anywhere in the Guayana Esequiba zone, and no one can say, or prove, they can, according to constitutional laws and the Venezuelan military.
I have heard that the Minister in charge of this issue, the Honorable Hugh Todd, during January 2021, considered it a threat to Guyana’s sovereignty, and had begun to be in a state of readiness, aiming to pre-empt the Maduro’s actions, so he said.
Guyana, I feel, cannot announce its military involvement in the matter, as it is indeed an issue that falls squarely under that sector. One cannot sit back and wait for a legal process to unfold, worrying as it is, especially when such a process can take a decade to reach its mid-point, if at all in my humble opinion, unlike Mr. Greenidge. , which is two years, simply by saying that the matter is currently before the ICJ, in which it is the only solution, and waiting another two years after the mid-point of two years. the best Guyana has to take. I’m Guyanese, and I don’t agree with such a “push-sit-desk-push” response.
My legal stance on this issue is that this is not only a jurisdictional issue. This is not just about sovereignty. This is not just about meeting the minds between some individuals living in Europe. This is about protecting one’s identity, and facing an attacker in a modern, appropriate response in true similarity to the image of Guyana. The important parallel issue I focus on is the fact that Maduro does not recognize another entity or body, except for a body that includes its Venezuelans counterparts and our Guyanese counterparts.
Let me ask a simple question, Editor, if one known to you, Editor, came into your backyard in Lot 1, Timbuktu, during the night of February 1, 2021, steal your bike, kill your dog , imprison your wife, etc., where is your revenge? We all know that every action has a response. It cannot wait until, January 1, 2030, some nine years later, to allow another person (s) to deal with the problem in question, which is essentially between you, that known person, and the State in which you both live. Another question, would you allow me again Editor, If there is a fire in someone’s kitchen, which is two feet away from the living room of someone in your house where you and your 10 children are, and one lady, one warning already started at 07:00 am, would it be sensible to wait until 11:00 pm to deal with it, would it?
In the first scenario, nine years is probably not the appropriate response as the outbreak will be so cold by then, no solution could be found. The perpetrator of the act will go scot free. You have contributed fully to that answer because of your willingness to act, and full accommodation for it, through your inaction. In the second scenario, no one would probably find anything to deal with, as the issue will have become contentious, the living room will surely be destroyed by the fire, which will spread quickly from the kitchen to him, because a fire will destroy you, your one wife, and your 10 children – that’s the attribute of fire, it kills everyone it encloses.
Guyana awaits final decree to hold the 1899 Arbitration Award, undoubtedly Don Quixote’s response in light of recent developments of imprisonment of three, not one, Editor, fellow Guyanese boatloads seeking their livelihood , in Venezuelan prisons. Editor, I trust that you agree with me, that Government must take corresponding action in response to Maduro’s immediate threat. If someone can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Correctly,
M. Shabeer Zafar
former Berbice lawyer