Jagdeo/Venezuelans Meeting: VP ‘willing to sell out our interests to keep power’ – MP AWD

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Shadow Foreign Affairs Hon. Minister Amanza Walton-Desir, MP, recently wailed in Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo for allegedly meeting with Venezuelans secretly even though the Government of Guyana had agreed with the Parliamentary Opposition on a specific course of action. MP Walton-Desir, during a live broadcast on Facebook, stated emphatically, “Essequibo belongs to Guyana; the Arbitral Award of 1899 definitively settled this issue; there is currently a matter before the ICJ; and we are committed to seeing that matter through.”

The Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister said, “What also is not in dispute is that there is a humanitarian crisis happening in Venezuela, and that is directly affecting Guyana and Guyanese because it is causing the influx of migrants into Guyana.” She said, “We also agree that because we are party to international conventions, as it relates to how we treat economic migrants, refugees, et cetera, we do have certain obligations.” She stated, “We will support the reasonable efforts of the government to secure our national interests.”

“The Leader of the Opposition would’ve met with President Ali and his delegation. We were briefed, and we agreed to have a Sitting of the National Assembly, et cetera, all within the context of this spirit of working together collaboratively,” The MP said. Walton-Desir said she was disturbed by a meeting between Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Venezuelans, and she declared “We will not be led around by the nose”. “I’ve seen a video being circulated on social media of a Venezuelan national. I’m understanding that there was a meeting on October 30th between Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Venezuelan migrants.

The MP said the Venezuelan national in the video proceeded to say that at that meeting, certain statements attributed to the Vice President suggested that the APNU and our concern for the influx of migrants were causing or resulting in certain acts against Venezuelan nationals. Anyone who has been following our stance on this knows that nothing is farther from the truth.

But this is what Bharrat Jagdeo does. And I want to say, I wrote to Hugh Todd today, asking him, whether such a meeting was convened, whether the meeting was organized by the Government of Guyana, and whether a transcript of that meeting could be provided to us. Because, remember, if we are collaborating, we have to collaborate all the way.”

The Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs also stated, “If Bharrat Jagdeo is having a meeting with Venezuelan migrants in this spirit of unity, the Opposition should have been at that meeting, particularly since it might have been coached in humanitarian terms, because we support the humanitarian treatment of Venezuelan migrants. Any migrant who comes to our shores, but it has become apparent, if the video is to be believed, why he could not invite us to that meeting.”

“That is because he chose to use that forum to accuse the APNU+AFC of promoting xenophobic acts, MP Walton-Desir stated. “Bharrat Jagdeo must come out immediately. And repudiate that video if it is not true, because this is not a laughing matter. This is serious business. This is very, very serious business. You cannot ask us to work with you in one sphere, and then, behind our backs, you take the opportunity to score cheap political points. It cannot be tolerated.”

The Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister said the VP “must be made to say why he would sit in a forum and promote such nonsense because I want y’all to understand something: the APNU+AFC represents 49 percent of Guyanese, and to the degree that you would allege that the APNU+AFC is promoting xenophobic acts against migrants is the degree to which you are allowing foreign elements to be inserted into our domestic politics, and you are literally making 50 percent of them a scapegoat in your grand scheme of things.”

She said what is becoming apparent is that VP Jagdeo is not interested in unity or a united approach. “Let me make it very clear because the Opposition has been very, very clear about this: our politics ends at the border when it comes to confronting an external threat; we will stand united.”

“So what exactly is this about?”, MP Amanza Walton-Desir quizzed. “It could only be that Bharrat Jagdeo sees this as an opportunity to get involved in the usual petty politics that he’s involved in, and that he believes he needs the Venezuelan vote to continue in power. Bharrat Jagdeo understands that Guyanese, whether you’re AFC, APNU, PNC, PPP are fed up of him. He knows very well that Guyanese are sick and tired from the blackouts, the high cost of living, the failing healthcare system, the failing infrastructure, and the failing education system. Guyanese are tired of it. And he knows it. And he knows that his support is dwindling. So what is this man willing to do? He is willing to sell out Guyanese. Sell out our interests. So that he can keep power.”