Dear Editor,
There is a well-known saying that “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, meaning that a genuine friend will not abandon you during difficult times. Cuba is currently struggling with severe power outages due to a shortage of fuel and oil created by U.S. restrictions. When Guyana was struggling during the Burnham years Cuba remained a strong supporter of the Guyanese people. They sent doctors and nurses to help keep our people healthy and were always a dependable ally during difficult times. Now that tables have turned and Cubans are suffering while Guyana is prospering it is very disappointing that our President refuses to provide the fuel and oil resources that the Cuban people desperately need. Why has the leader of Guyana turned his back on the Cuban people?
The position of the U.S. is that of restricting such commodities from entering Cuba and their current influence over Guyana’s president is becoming more apparent and concerning. He no longer appears to have the freedom to decide for Guyana without the approval of the U.S. government. Are our prosperity and independence no longer intertwined? CNOOC which is a company based in China is also a partner of Exxon’s in the Stabroek block. Will the U.S. ask for them to be excluded from future oil exploration and extraction in the future if tensions escalate between the two countries? Will Guyana comply or will our President decide that our sovereignty and independence allow us to choose a different path?
Guyana must be clear with our allies, both new and old that the direction and decisions being made concerning our sovereign nation are done in the best interest of the Guyanese people first and foremost. Our leaders cannot become puppets of foreign governments and still lead our independent nation. It is dishonourable for our country to forsake a true friend during such desperate circumstances when we have and can afford to provide the resources they are in urgent need of for the health and wellbeing of their citizens.
The children, the elderly and the sick are being affected. The Guyanese people cannot allow our government to forsake the Cuban people who helped our children, elderly and sick when other nations didn’t. We do not need a puppet government that abandons those who helped us in our time need so they can continue to bow to the will of their new masters in order to stay in good standing. Allowing the robbery of our resources and the inhumane treatment of our allies is a price too high to pay for transformation. What good is it to gain the world and lose one’s soul in the process? Aren’t there others who can and have helped us prosper?
The PPP/C has lost its way and has turned its back on the teachings of the Jagans. They have turned their backs on Cuba, and worst of all they have turned their backs on their fellow Guyanese by mocking our poverty and refusing to give us a vote via a referendum on the renegotiating of the oil contract with their new masters. We, the people of Guyana, must demand change. We must demand that our leaders do the will of the people.