Dear Editor
I write in response to a GHK Lall’s mischievous and highly inappropriate piece under the title “Argyle: Guyana’s blind spots, Venezuela’s bright spots,” that was published on December 15, 2023. The mischief lies in the fact that although Lall knows little about foreign affairs, his statements appear to come from the mind of a local Henry Kissinger. By doing so, he is sowing doubt in the minds of those who know even less than him. Lall’s conjectures are inappropriate because instead of embracing the motto – United We Stand, they give succor to the enemy.
The first thing Lall should appreciate is that in all national security matters, the public never has full and complete information. Unless Lall is a someone other than he is known to be, he cannot and should not have details of our national security secrets. His lack of access does not mean he should not write about the Argyle meeting. What he should not do, however, is make his speculation appear as if he has definitive information. A little of modesty might suit you better Sir!
The real problem with Lall is that he makes a mess with the information that he does have. Specifically, he misunderstands the pivotal points in the Joint Guyana-Venezuela Declaration. The very first point in the Declaration reads as follows – “Agreed that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.” The high and mighty GHK Lall sees no value in this. The truth is, this is a baseline element of a total framework that goes a long way in lowering tensions, and specifically in reining in Venezuela’s hitherto forward march towards military escalation. One of my first-year students could explain the value of this to Mr. Lall.
Point 2 of the Declaration states the following – “Agreed that any controversies between the two States will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.” I don’t know if Mr. Lall thinks international law is a dreadful thing or against our interest. I can assure him that not only is international law is our preferable path, but that it is also on our side.
Lall thinks that the 1966 Geneva Agreement is a trap for Guyana. He needs to calm down and go study this thing all over again. The said Agreement was the enabling instrument for us to bring the case before the ICJ. If it weren’t for the 1966 Agreement, Guyana would be locked into what Venezuela wants, namely a purely bilateral method of dealing with the matter. Lall does not seem to know that bilateral process always favors the more powerful party to a dispute or controversy. There are other consequential border issues here that I prefer not to discuss. I don’t mind meeting Lall and explaining them to him.
We normally tolerate GHK Lall’s elliptical renditions in the press, often in the form of rough poetry. Those are harmless and so are rightfully ignored. His latest gyration, however, rubs up against existential values, namely territorial integrity, and national sovereignty. For those reasons, we must ask GHK Lall to stand down and be respectful because he does not understand the Argyle Declaration. This is not a time for irresponsible speculation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Randy Persaud
