A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament Shurwayne Holder has labeled the PPP Government’s Foreign Policy a Disaster. He said the Surinamese did not promise our fishermen anything but instead, it is the Guyana government who did.
The Ali-led PPP government on Monday last condemned the treatment of Guyanese fisherfolk by Suriname authorities and urged its Dutch-speaking neighbour to uphold a commitment it had made to issue fishing licenses to them.
It was explained that Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and his Surinamese counterpart, Parmanand Sewdien, had held discussions on the matter, and it was agreed that Suriname would form a company to issue the licenses. By January 1, 2022, the agreement should have been in place as Guyana had already submitted the names of the fishermen who should receive the licenses since November 16, 2021.
“To date, the Government of Guyana has not been advised on the status of the establishment of the company referred to, nor on the issuances of the licenses. The Government of Guyana, therefore, calls on the Government of Suriname to not renege in its commitment and to make known the current position of the issuance of the licenses,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, we reported that back in August of 2021, Former President Granger was quoted in the Guyana Standards as warning that “Guyana’s policy towards Suriname should not be based on “wishful thinking”.
In the article the former President warned against ‘exaggerated’ expectations over recent engagements between Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
Guyana’s statement indicates a souring of the good relations between the two South American nations. Tensions between Guyanese and Surinamese fisherfolks have been brewing for years, on top of territorial contentions.
More, In The Ring.
