Tues. May 7, 2024

The Editor, Amandala newspaper

Dear Sir,

Please publish the following article which is attached. It’s not as long as the previous article I submitted, and this one is most appropriate and relevant to Belize. 

I’m Guyanese and a lecturer at the University of Guyana.

I look forward to hearing favorably from you.

Sincerely,
 Karyl D. Arthur (Mr.)

A slap in the face for Belize

The government’s recent radio announcement that it will seek assistance for our (Guyana’s) sugar industry from Guatemala, is nothing but a slap in the face for our fellow CARICOM member state, Belize, which has a territorial claim against it from Guatemala, which also backs Venezuela’s territorial claim against us. I have also noticed a recent advertisement in the Sunday Stabroek for bitumen sales from a company in Guatemala. I wonder if the government will now purchase bitumen from this company rather than from our sister CARICOM country, Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, all the Spanish-speaking Latin American countries of the Americas back Venezuela’s territorial claim against Guyana, and it is reported that Bolivia has already redrawn new maps of Venezuela showing the inclusion of Guyana’s Essequibo as part of Venezuela.

Doctor Ali’s government shows an unnatural favouritism towards these Spanish-speaking Latin American countries of the Americas, showering them with lavish praise. During the days of British Guiana, our political leaders used to say that “Guiana’s destiny lies with the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America,” and we’re now seeing their talk materialising. Doctor Ali is attempting to force the subjugation of Guyanese to Spanish-speaking Latin Americans by seeking their assistance to solve any and every problem in Guyana, attempting to force us to learn Spanish, and encouraging them (including our deadly enemies, Venezuelans) to come and live in Guyana. In recent times the government has sought assistance and co-operation from Cuba, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.

The reasons why the current leaders of the two main political parties [appear to] want Guyana to be obliterated and absorbed by Venezuela is because of the country’s British colonial history of indentureship and slavery. They see it as payback for these twin evils perpetrated by the British; but they refuse to take into consideration the democratic wishes and interests of the Guyanese population, who do not want subjugation by the Spanish conquistadores. Dr. Ali and the PPP must condemn the Spanish conquistadores’ genocide of the indigenous populations of the Americas, the seizure of their territory and their ill-treatment of the survivors of the genocide? Our leaders’ call for reparations from the British must also mean reparations from the Spanish conquistadores to the indigenous populations of the Americas. They cannot separate these two parallel situations. Aren’t the Amerindians of the Americas humans too, like African slaves and Indian indentured labourers? Dr. Ali and the PPP must also call for reparations for the Amerindians of the Americas due them by the Spanish conquistadores’ descendants.

The answer to those who want to force our subjugation to the Spanish-speaking Latin American conquistadores is to form an Association with Belize, the Falkland Islands and the remaining British territories of the South Atlantic, viz. Saint Helena, South Georgia islands etc. and develop ties with them. So, instead of becoming passive victims of the Venezuelan and Latin American Spanish conquistadores, Belize, the Falkland Islands and Guyana must form an Anti-Conquistadores Alliance which would become a dynamic Anglo-phone [English-speaking] organisation to influence and promote pro-Anglo-phone events in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic in order to counteract Spanish conquistadores’ designs against us…

(AMANDALA Ed. Note: The opinions above are, of course, the writer’s. We confirmed Mr. Arthur’s credentials as an engineering lecturer at the University of Guyana at fot.uog.edu.gy. Guyana currently has a population of 818,811, of which roughly 30% are Afro-descendants, 40% are India-descendants (from indentured labourers), 20% are considered Mixed; and 10% Amerindian. According to Wikipedia, similar to Belize, “English is the official language of Guyana, which is the only South American country with English as the official language. Guyanese Creole (an English-based creole with African and Indian syntax) is widely spoken in Guyana.” Ironically, Belize shares a long friendship with Venezuela, who have also stated their commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the region and respect for international law. Because of the unsettled claim by Venezuela to Guyana’s Essequibo region, which is still being negotiated, we cannot entertain all of Mr. Arthur’s remarks and opinions; but there is enough offered to spark the interest of Belizean readers to learn more about situations in our region that could impact us here in Belize.)