WALTON-DESIR: GOVERNMENT DROPPING THE BALL ON DEFENDING GUYANA’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Earlier this month, during a Chinese-hosted reception celebrating 53 years of diplomatic relations with Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali called on China to assist in safeguarding Guyana’s territorial integrity and preserving regional peace amid continued threats from Venezuela.
However, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Amanza Walton-Desir has criticized what she describes as the government’s lukewarm domestic response to territorial and diplomatic challenges. Speaking on The Showdown, Walton-Desir said that while it is necessary to build international partnerships, the administration is “dropping the ball” in its handling of the issue at home.
“The map of Guyana continues to be bastardized… even within CARICOM,” she stated, referencing recent incidents where Guyana’s map was displayed without the Essequibo region, including by Caribbean Airlines’ in-flight magazine Caribbean Beat and during the Cricket World Cup promotions.
The Opposition Member of Parliament contended that the government’s lack of an aggressive diplomatic push to counter such misrepresentations is troubling. She also argued that President Ali has failed to foster the national unity necessary to confront Venezuela’s longstanding territorial claim effectively.
“Whilst President Ali seeks assistance from international partners, he is not doing everything he can—and must—at home,” Walton-Desir emphasized. “There is no national interest guiding their interactions; it’s exceedingly transactional.”
She further warned that although international diplomacy and support for Guyana’s ICJ case are vital, they must not come at the cost of sovereignty or internal preparedness.
“We have to, at home, do some serious work to shore up local support,” she concluded.
The opposition continues to call on the government to strengthen domestic messaging and assertive diplomacy in defending Guyana’s borders, especially amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the region.
