Dear Editor,
In reference to your front-page article of June 5, where President Ali’s visit to Nimitz, the US aircraft carrier, is brilliant and strategic and in our national interest. It is a symbolic visit to show Guyana’s solidarity with America on combating drug trafficking and a message to other powers not to meddle in regional affairs. It is a direct message to Caracas not to mess with Guyana. It is noted that leaders of other countries in the region also visited the Nimitz.
The handful of left-wing Guyanese politicians who are critical of the President’s presence on the deck of an American military ship don’t understand Washington’s geo-strategic politics and Guyana’s national interests. Guyana needs the US more now than ever before. This is not the 1950s through the 2010s when third-world leaders could be anti-American; anti-American Administrations knew the consequences then. The consequences are worse today. Guyana must ally with the US for security and economic interests. President Ali is smartly allying with the US and pursuing an unprecedented close relationship with Washington that no other leader ever did or thought about.
Under President Ali, a strategic alliance with the United States is anchored in deep mutual interests, primarily centred on national security cooperation, energy, and economic stability. America is Guyana’s primary economic partner.
Since becoming President in August 2020, Ali has been strengthening Guyana’s security alliance and economic cooperation with the United States, marked by high-level geopolitical collaboration and high-profile visits by leading American cabinet officials and military personnel. Ali has expanded our partnership with the US. The Nimitz visit further strengthens ties between our two countries. It comes on top of Ali recently meeting President Trump in Florida to solidify security and anti-narcotic cooperation.
The Nimitz visit highlights deep bilateral integration between US Naval Forces Southern Command and Guyana’s maritime units. The USS Nimitz is a supercarrier deployed in the Southern Seas. The encounter on the carrier allowed our forces to align tactical operations for multi-national missions to combat drug trafficking and other threats to the region and to protect Guyana’s integrity.
The tight alliance between the Ali Administration and Washington faces criticism from left-wingers and pro-Russian and pro-Chinese advocates. They forget that America was responsible for the restoration of democracy in 1992 and again in 2020. It was under the Trump Administration that democracy was restored in 2020 after repeated attempts at rigging. Russia and China did not support the struggle for restoration of democracy in Guyana. A handful of us lobbied Washington to intervene in Guyana to restore democratic governance in 1992 and again in 2020. Washington pressured the dictatorship in Guyana to pursue political and economic reforms, allowing for the left-wing Cheddi Jagan and the PPP to win the elections and assume power. Rigging was abandoned in 2020 after threats from the Trump Administration.
The pro-Russia and pro-China advocates also forget that American companies have invested heavily in Guyana’s economy over the last decade. Also, American troops have been protecting our border against Venezuelan threats and those huge American investments. Without Exxon’s investment in deep-water drilling, oil and gas would not have been found. Guyana would have remained a backwater place. Guyana’s economy would have been floundering. None of the development Guyana has been undergoing since 2020 would have been possible without American support. Exxon has been responsible for our growth and development, and its operations have been rapidly expanding, resulting in enormous financial benefits to continue to fund our infrastructure.
America’s objectives in Guyana coincide with ours. America’s top goals in Guyana are to promote inclusive growth, support human rights, combat drug trafficking, strengthen democracy, protect our border, and secure American interests in the region. Guyana benefits enormously: it gains access to US funding, equipment, and advanced training for our armed forces.
American security investment in Guyana benefits us. Ali’s cooperation with the US serves our interests. He should ignore critics like Freddie and others from the lunatic left who oppose the strong American military presence in Guyana and our alliance with the US.