Opposition Member of Parliament and shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, Amanza Walton-Desir, on Monday called on the government to implement a comprehensive and effective migration policy in light of the growing concerns over unchecked migration into Guyana.
In her usual animated style, Walton-Desir used a significant part of her presentation to address the claims made by the ruling PPP/C government, that the APNU+AFC had no coherent foreign policy while in government during 2015 and 2020.
While she said this is patently false, Walton-Desir argued that the focus should not be on the politics of the past but on the pressing issues facing Guyana today.
“We are not going to be drawn into their backward-looking game,” Desir remarked.
Instead, she urged the government to address the issue of migration, particularly concerning the influx of Venezuelan nationals into Guyana.
She expressed grave concerns over the security risks posed by porous borders and urged the government to build a sound migration policy that safeguards both the country’s security and the privilege of being Guyanese citizens.
Walton-Desir also criticised what she said was the government’s reluctance to acknowledge the magnitude of the migration challenge.
Responding to Walton-Desir’s remarks, was Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, who accused the opposition of stoking xenophobic sentiments.
Walrond argued that Walton-Desir’s comments were inciting fear rather than offering real solutions to the migration challenges Guyana faces.
“The truth is that most of the Venezuelans here are of Guyanese descent, and that is the truth,” Walrond stated.
“We need to take the rhetoric down a notch and focus on substance, not empty symbolism,” she added.
Further stressing the importance of national security, Walton-Desir called for a meeting of the Parliamentary Foreign Sectoral Committee to address the ongoing border controversy with Venezuela.
“The Minister of Home Affairs [Robeson Benn] and Foreign Affairs Minister [Hugh Todd] came to this House and uttered almost nothing on this pressing issue,” Desir said.
She left the Chamber soon after her presentation and did not stay for the usual rebuttal.
Still, Walrond’s remarks were pointed, as she accused the opposition parliamentarian of using “brass and tingling symbols” in her presentation, which she described as “empty and vacuous.”
She went on to suggest that Walton-Desir’s criticisms, both inside and outside of the House, reflect a deeper ideological divide.
“Some of these criticisms tell the story of who they really are,” Walrond claimed.
She rejected claims that the PPP/C was spending monies from oil on priorities others than those to ensure the protection and prosperity of Guyanese people.
“Without the oil resources, the PPP found the fiscal space to support all classes of citizens and all levels of the economy. We did more without oil, while the APNU had the resources but failed to achieve similar results,” she said.
