Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has made it clear that there is no tolerance for the abuse of Venezuelans or any migrants in Guyana and rejected statements made at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
Jagdeo, who spoke at a People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) press conference on Thursday, said Ms. Rodriguez was trying to “score political points” by telling the World Court on Wednesday that Guyana was violating international norms by promoting xenophobia.
“Venezuela should not be misrepresenting this issue, particularly before the Court. It is a lie,” Jagdeo said.
According to him, the government has consistently said migrants, be it Venezuelans or others, should be treated with dignity in Guyana. So he believes his Venezuelan counterpart was simply misleading the World Court.
“For her to go and tell the court this… is patently false,” the Vice President said.
The News Room reported on November 2, 2023, that Jagdeo condemned the inhumane treatment of Venezuelans in Guyana, stating clearly that Guyana will not be a country that promotes xenophobia.
Jagdeo’s statement was made at another press conference, held days after a video circulated on social media with Venezuelans being bullied while told to strip naked and altogether treated inhumanely. That man was slapped with several charges in relation to the issue on Thursday.
Even as he condemned the false information from the Venezuelan Vice President, Jagdeo also said anyone found breaking laws would face consequences.
Guyana and Venezuela were at the World Court this week. Guyana Tuesday argued before the Court that Venezuela’s December 3, 2023 referendum is intended to be used as a trigger for that country to seize Guyana’s territory by military force.
Is it not patently false and embarrassingly dishonest that a Vice-President of Venezuela Madame Delcy Rodriguez uses the Court Room of the ICJ to highlight allegations of ill-treatment by Guyana to its Venezuelan citizens seeking refugee status citizens there when:
1. Venezuela itself is principally responsible by its long harsh and inhumane treatment to its own 8m citizens that forces them to seek and eke out a living in neighbouring countries inclusive of both Guyana and T&T?
2. The VP Mr Bharat Jagdeo recently appealed to all Guyanese to accord humane and civilised treatment to all Venezuelans located and living even illegally in Guyana;
3. The Leader of the Opposition Mr Audrey Norton during the debate in Parliament on November 6 commented on emphasised the security risks that Venezuelans in Guyana pose to the country taking into account the publicly announced purported intention of Venezuela to use and employ illegal military force to invade, annexe and integrate the Essequibo Region as Venezuelan territory;
4. These same Venezuelans are allowed to work in Guyana and send remittances, medicines, US dollars and food to their loved ones who are suffering from hunger and health care’ and also to commit acts of atrocity and lawlessness inimical to Guyana’s stability, law and order.
5 Venezuela should be expressing appreciation to the host countries for their humanitarian reception and treatment of the persons who are forced to flee from the harsh conditions that the Maduro regime created without any end in sight.
In her ill-advised attempt to paint and stigmatise Guyana as an “aggressor” state before the ICJ to justify Venezuela’s sabre-rattling and planned invasion of that country is backward international multilateral diplomacy of the lowest ebb and flow of the vagaries of Venezuelan conduct of its foreign relations that at present lacks credibility, is counter productive at best and sullies the reputation of Caracas in the eyes of the world.
Delcy does not evoke any traction in her maverick demarche of Maduro’s imperialistic and expansionary disruptive agenda towards Guyana.
She is regarded in the Caribbean as a loose cannon.