TT wants MOU Guyanese Balks 

Trinidad and Tobago (TT) which is currently facing an economic crisis, is eying Guyana’s new fledging oil industry. Meanwhile, Guyana’s eastern continental neighbour, Suriname remains silent about Guyana’s mega oil hits, and hasn’t indicated its willingness to invest in it. At the same time, the Guyanese public is angry and against its government inviting TT to part take in the Guyana oil industry. This is because of bitter memories of TT’s past treatment of Guyanese and “selfish bilateral agreements with Venezuela” that may have compromised Guyana’s sovereignty.

Let’s not forget that the former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar insulted, especially Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica, three of Caricom’s poorest states, when she said that “T&T” is no longer an “open ATM” for CARICOM. She was strongly rebuked for her arrogant comment.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar said to heads of government at a CARICOM summit in 2010-

“Each time there’s a shortfall we cannot continue like T&T is an ATM card as one of my officers has said to me. T&T is seen as an ATM card, you put in the card and it comes back out with cash. It just cannot happen anymore. “We’re still committed to helping where we can. We won’t turn a blind eye, but there’s no godfather partner…we’re all in this equally.”

The Guyanese public took this personally

Guyanese also recall being sent home on arrival at Piarco Airport, TT. They also recall sleeping at Piarco Airport because they were left stranded by Caribbean Airlines delays and cancellations. They also recalled not being offered hotel accommodations, food or water. Transiting through TT once, I faced that dilemma. I demanded service and also spoke up for the stranded Guyanese passengers. I demanded to know why we were not also given hotel, transportation and food vouchers. CAL threatened to call the police to shut me up.

Guyanese are the bulk of CAL’s passengers, and they are treated like they come from a “shithole” country because they have had corrupt leadership. An executive of CAL, Mr. Fazal Karim said in January 2017 that the “Guyana-NY route is one of our cash cows.” The airline flies about six times to eight daily in and out of Guyana.

Guyanese, Haitians and Jamaicans have been stigmatized especially in TT. Trinis stereotype of Guyanese – “backward, poor, corrupted and from a mosquito infested jungle.” They welcomed “Latinos” with open arms before the Venezuela collapse.” In TT, skin color matters. In fact, it’s still recorded on national ID cards today.

We Guyanese never received this sort of treatment from Suriname. There are over 30,000 Guyanese living in Suriname today.

Former Minister Calls TT “selfish”

This late August, former Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana. Mr. Robert Persaud told the media that “the Dragon gas deal between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela is another example of TT’s selfish disregard for Guyana sovereignty.”

“Every country is entitled to pursue economic and diplomatic relations that best serves its interest. But the pursuit of this interest must not be to the detriment of others, particularly a sister country in a community of nations,” said Persaud.

“Trinidad and Tobago, in relation to Venezuela, has always acted selfishly in service of its own, narrow economic interest. The recent Dragon gas deal with the rogue, belligerent and inhumane Maduro regime is but the latest example. There are several instances when our

territorial integrity was compromised by treaties and deals between TT and Venezuela,” said the former government minister added.

Persaud also referenced another damaging example and one which the Vice President and Foreign Minister of Guyana, Carl Greenidge raised in the media recently.

According to Persaud, the April 1990 Treaty with Venezuela on the delimitation of maritime and submarine areas may have overlapped Guyana and Barbados Exclusive Economic Zone.

“Trinidad and Tobago seems to care less or not at all about the ramifications of its action on Guyana’s borders re: Venezuela’s illegal and unfounded claim on 2/3 of our territory. Now that the odious claim by Venezuela has been referred to the ICJ, one would have thought caution and consideration would be given to its dealings with Venezuela. Again, self-interest might have triumphed solidarity.” he stated.

Foreign Minister not Happy with TT/Venezuela Deal

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge told Demerara Wave–

“There have been no technical or political discussions between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana and Barbados on the maritime boundaries in the longest while. The Prime Minister of Barbados did say to us that they would be interested in looking at this matter.”

The Granger/Mottley ties are strong; more reinforced after their meeting this week in Barbados. Barbados has always been a reliable and faithful partner of Guyana and Guyanese.

President David Granger said, “I believe in Mia Mottley. I’ve seen a clear indication that she wants to solve this problem of movement of persons and she wants to get the Caribbean Single Market and Economy going.”

Granger hasn’t given up on some of the ideals of late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Guyana’s first President, also known as the “Kabaka”. The Kabaka is the king of the Buganda Kingdom of today’s Uganda. Interestingly, Burnham visited Uganda in 1970 under President Milton Obote who had sacked the Kabaka. LFSB was a founder and proponent of CARICOM integration; a pan-Africanist who emulated some of the ideals of “Ujamaa/sustainable development and cooperation” from the founder of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Greenidge said a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy with Trinidad and Tobago might provide a window of cooperation on maritime space. The two countries will sign the agreement on Wednesday when the prime minister of TT visits Guyana.

There has been an uproar in Guyana asking the minister not to pen the MOU with TT. However, Carl Greenidge said that there is nothing “sinister” about the MOU.

An MOU is just a “paper tiger” unless it is followed by very specific agreements and actions. It could end up collecting dust, but it is up to Guyana to get a fair deal for the Guyanese people. There is no reason why the two countries should not cooperate.

Minister Greenidge noted that the maritime boundaries among Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados overlap with those of Venezuela. “Therefore, it becomes difficult for us to simply negotiate a boundary with one partner when the boundaries overlap with two or three. We can’t bind the third partner if the two of you meet,” he told DW.

Guyana is waiting for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to deliver its judgement on the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy. After that, Guyana will open discussions Trinidad and Tobago.

The 1990 Trinidad and Venezuela treaty may have compromised Guyana’s sovereignty Minister Greenidge also asserted. So both the ruling government and the opposition have a common perspective and narrative of TT.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Greenidge told DW, “We have had problems already due to at least one of our Caricom (Caribbean Community) carrying out negotiations with Venezuela purporting to bind us in an arrangement in which we are apparently, by that process, defaulting or conceding part of the territory that would normally be Guyanese territory so we are wary about carrying out those discussions in the absence of a mechanism for resolving the boundary with a third country which may share that sea space.”

He was clearly making reference to the Venezuela-Trinidad agreement.

According to DW, the Guyanese Foreign Minister suggested very strongly that Guyana would not respect that agreement. “Those can’t stand if they affect Guyana’s space. You can’t gang up and decide to agree on my boundary.”

Greenidge said that if talks between or among Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados fail, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) mechanism could be invoked.

“They can do them bilaterally and then tri-laterally and, if necessary, they can do it within the aegis of the UNCLOS. In other words, the two countries can do it and then bring in a

third and if they are having a difficulty for any reason- uncooperativeness or disagreement over the understanding and the rules- they then invite or ask UNCLOS to help them,” he asserted.

Guyana ratified the UNCLOS in 1993, and in 2004 used that legal framework to challenge Suriname at the United Nations Tribunal of the Law of the Sea. In 2007, Guyana was awarded most of the territorial waters which Suriname had claimed. Suriname like Venezuela, also used force to evict surveying vessels licensed by Guyana.

Suriname/Guyana Distrust and no Vision

Without any specifics, just recently, the Foreign Minister of Suriname, Yildiz Pollack-Beighle said that her country and Guyana are quietly working to resolve the disputed area called Tigri in Suriname and the New River Triangle in Guyana.

Relationship between Guyana and Suriname some diplomats are urging should be stepped up. But it seems that Suriname is more occupied forging ties with Russia, China, Serbia, Morocco and Venezuela these days; and economic woes the country is facing have it preoccupied with domestic issues. Stronger ties between Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela existed during the previous administration in Georgetown. Suriname has emerged a voice for Venezuela and a great deal of money and time has been spent on the Venezuela ties.

They see Guyana and its new government as part of the US/EXXON-Mobil Imperialist Project.

The mega oil discovered in Guyana will have major ramifications for both of these continental neighbours that shares a long and porous border. Suriname itself may find as much oil as Guyana soon. Thus, both countries need to work on a master plan to cooperate in dealing with this reality. Their borders in the future may become inundated from people near and far because the Guianas are poised to be the “richest corner of South America.”

What if oil and gas are found along the maritime boundary between  Guyana  and Suriname like what happened between Senegal and Mauritania? Instead of going to war or to the ICJ, the two West African countries have agreed to divide the wealth in a joint venture.

Guyana and Suriname have always had warm ties. There is a large Guyanese diaspora in Suriname. Their citizens travel between these two countries with a national ID. However, Guyana and Suriname have had a history of mistrust. This dates back to the British and the Dutch occupation of both countries. The British and the Dutch agreed in 1799 that the border between the two countries will be the Corentyne River. But later, it was revealed that the mapping of the area was inaccurate and in favour of Guyana, and this is why the issue lingers.

When the Surinamese army built camps in the disputed area, Guyana attacked in 1967 and drove the Surinamese out. Suriname got even in 2000 when its navy forcefully escorted a Guyana licenced surveying vessel from what it termed “disputed territorial waters.” Guyana took the dispute to the Hague and was awarded most of the disputed waters.

The two countries will have to deal with the reality of immigration, refugees, cross borders crimes, human and narc- trafficking, terrorism, pandemic, and environmental conflict. There are no indications of movement or talk between Suriname and Guyana to confront these realities before it’s too late and they are caught unprepared.

Source|Region