Many people living in border communities are said to be concerned about Venezuela’s planned December 3 referendum and any potential aggressions towards Guyana. So government ministers are travelling to those communities and will engage residents directly as part of a national effort to improve public relations in light of Venezuela’s actions.
This was revealed on Wednesday night during the University of Guyana event on the Guyana/ Venezuela border controversy by former Communications Advisor to the Office of the President, Kit Nascimento.
He said, “They (members of the government) are currently in the process of a public relations outreach in frontier communities, by that, I mean all our ministers are about to go into those communities and meet with the population at our frontiers.”
Nascimento added that the government is stepping up public awareness through the creation of documents for widespread dissemination, videos and other media.
He, like others throughout the evening’s event, maintained that Venezuela has long been the aggressor that claims Guyana’s territory though the boundary between the two countries was settled more than 100 years ago.
Nascimento, however, acknowledged suggestions that there should be a more robust public relations effort now that Venezuela is pursuing a referendum next month that many fear may trigger the annexation of Guyana’s Essequibo region.
A more robust strategy and engagements with the government officials are viewed as particularly necessary, the forum heard, because groups of residents have been trying to relocate to Georgetown or other parts of the coast until that referendum is over.
Residents of border communities are said to be quite anxious and in some cases, fearful of Venezuela’s actions.
“…When it comes to the referendum, we the Indigenous people, we don’t’ have any idea what the referendum is about.
“When it comes to communication and so, we don’t have the communication access there so it really breaks my heart to know that we don’t even know what the referendum refers to,” Kevon Jeffrey, a student teacher and resident of the Region One community, Moruca, said at the event.
Seemingly on the verge of tears, Jeffrey also said he and other residents are fearful of any possible military action on Venezuela’s part. It is for that reason, he explained, some residents are trying to relocate, even if temporarily.
Jean La Rose of the Amerindian People’s Association and a Santa Rosa, Region One resident was, however, among those who urged people not to leave their homes out of fear.
“Currently, our people are scared, they are scared because they don’t know what is happening. They don’t know what is a referendum and what is happening, there is a lot of rumor-mongering happening,” she said.
She, however, added, “Come December 3, I am going back to Santa Rosa which is my homeland.
“I want to encourage our people, stay in your homes, that is what you own. Stay on your lands, that is what you own, that is the patrimony of your ancestors, stay, guard it.”
On Saturday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali asked Guyanese to trust that the government is doing all it can to favourably resolve the border controversy with Venezuela and protect the country from any future aggressions from the Spanish-speaking nation.
He also said people should not fall prey to any propaganda on social media or misinformation being spread elsewhere.
He believes that people should rely on official channels of communication and trust that the information received and being disseminated is “of exceptional standard.”
The President did, however, agree that a more robust communications strategy is needed to quell people’s concerns and provide factual information. He said the government will work alongside members of the local media corps to execute this strategy.
Responding directly to reports of residents in border communities being urged to move away, the President said that should not be the case. In fact, he sought to assure people that the government is taking all steps needed to guarantee Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The border controversy is squarely before the World Court and Guyana hopes for a final, binding settlement that reaffirms the 1899 Arbitral Award that established the existing boundary between itself and Venezuela.
Essentially, Guyana wants the court to reaffirm that the Essequibo region is its own.
This baseless sword of Damocles spurious claim to the Essequibo that Venezuela holds over the peace-loving, democratic, developing, diverse and formerly poor country of Guyana infringes, rubbishes and disrespects all the beliefs and principles held by both the Non-Aligned Movement and current G77 made up of developing countries who banded together to defend, promote and facilitate the achievement their interests and aspirations and their right as victims of colonialism to development for the welfare of their peoples.
The essence was to increase South-South co-operation, trade and functional co-operation.
Venezuela at present is committing a heinous crime through its huge weaponry against Guyana to intentionally retard the rapid pace of development of Guyana by issuing an existential threat to infringe Guyana’s sovereignty, its political independence, its right to monetise its landed and maritime patrimony for the benefit of its people and region and to live securely and safely within long and legally established borders and boundaries without any fears of being overtaken by the forces of evil imperialism.
Guyana’s resources are being stretched to almost breaking point having to preside over its development, respond to the machinations of an aggressor, assure its people of their safety and not to panic and relocate from the borders, conduct increasingly expensive diplomacy and information dissemination, arm itself, compromise its independent foreign policy positions by making alliances and seeking help to counteract this wholly unnecessary external doomsday threat.
The challenge to deal with and calm internal domestic tension generated by this expansionist threat and conduct a robust PR internationally at bilateral and multilateral fora to gain friends and influence nations is a monumental challenge that is both an expensive diversion of its new windfall resources inconsistent with Third World solidarity concept and cohesion.
This crime against the humanity of Guyana is not only a boundary dispute to be transacted and adjudicated at the ICJ. Its tentacles extend beyond that option to affect the lies and livelihood of fence-line communities, retard the return of well- trained Guyanese people to upgrade its human resource potential and discourage foreign investments in the non-oil sector essentially to prevent the economic diversification thrust and drive.
Guyana must craft a multifaceted and multi-pronged information dissemination programme and implement it with the aid of IT technology and mobilise its diaspora to counter Venezuela’s invasion plans by the influence that Guyanese possess at metropolitan capitals with their well known, appreciated, celebrated and acknowledged articulation skill with the use of the English language and their accumulated financial largesse.