Opposition Leader, Prime Minister differ on consultation on parliamentary resolution against Venezuela’s land claim

Last Updated on Saturday, 24 May 2025, 11:22 by Writer

Gov’t silent on meeting of Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton on Friday accused the government of failing to consult the opposition about a parliamentary resolution reaffirming Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Venezuela’s aggression.

“This time around, there was no consultation. You send a motion demanding that our Chief Whip sign it. We reject such callousness out of hand. We are, therefore, not obligated to support this motion since it is you the government that has breached our trust and operated arbitrarily,” he told the National Assembly during debate on the resolution.

But Prime Minister Mark Phillips dismissed that claim, saying that the Chief Whip was consulted about the contents of the resolution which also “unequivocally reaffirms” the “indissolubility” of Guyana.

“A draft of this motion was submitted through the right channels to the Chief Whip requesting that they read the draft, that they submit their amendments and that they submit a joint motion before this House. In the House today, we had a Leader of the Opposition who came and said he did not see the draft of the motion,” said Mr Phillips, a retired Brigadier and former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

He also said the motion was submitted in keeping with the deadline “without the value of any amendment and any support by the opposition.”

Instead, he said Mr Norton resorted to a “diatribe” on social media.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall added that he witnessed Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones and Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira working out speaking arrangements for Friday’s debate on the resolution but Mr Norton scuttled the plans. “Norton’s leadership, the leadership that he extended here today was to scrap all of that and walk out of the Parliament because he unilaterally decided that he would not support the motion,” Mr Nandlall added.

Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said government has “gone to great length to ensure that we are inclusive” and ensure that Guyana’s case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) receives the attention of everyone concerned.

He said a ministerial advisory committee on borders had been holding meetings.

However, neither himself nor other government parliamentarians, who spoke on the resolution, addressed the opposition’s concerns that the People’s Progressive Party Civic-led administration did not call necessary meetings of the House bipartisan committee on Foreign Relati0ns and transfer its chairmanship to Shadow Foreign Minister, Amanza Walton-Desir, despite assurances by President Irfaan Ali.

Mr Norton said the Foreign Affairs Minister, in Dr Ali’s presence, had pledged to convene a meeting and hand over the committee’s chairmanship.

“As a government, you manifest no interest in working with the opposition and now we are compelled to reciprocate. You cannot choose not to work with us but selectively decide when you want to work with us,” he said.

The AFC, in a press statement, said that from 2015 to 2018 during the APNU+AFC administration the House Foreign Relations Committee met 22 times in contrast to three times from 2020 to date, setting a model for dialogue, consultation and inclusion on matters of national interest.

“This is a clear example of the PPP lack of commitment towards including the opposition in creating a national approach to our border controversy,” the AFC added.

The Opposition Leader and his parliamentarians walked out of the House after his presentation, after making a last ditch request for the two sides to meet and hammer out a consensus motion.

Punctuating almost his entire contribution to the debate on the resolution with concerns about the failure of the government to consult and engage the opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) in strategising against Venezuela, Mr Norton reiterated that the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award settled the border and that the gubernatorial elections is reprehensible.

“We believe that the so-called elections in the Essequibo should be condemned and one of the marked failures of this resolution is that it failed to condemn and had you consulted us, we would have told you that it will be remiss of you if you do not condemn Venezuela’s attempt to convene elections in our territory,” he said.

Mr Norton said the opposition supports the GDF soldiers and “condemns Venezuela’s aggression against them”, even as it “bemoans” the government’s failure to recapitalise the defence force and properly take care of the servicemen at the borders.

Over the past three years, the GDF had acquired two helicopters, one of which has since crashed, and bought two 0ffshore patrol vessels.

He said the parliamentary motion fails to state what actions the Guyana government would take.

The Opposition Leader lampooned the government for failing to have a proper education programme, establish a national commission on the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, reach out to border communities, dispatch special envoys to Latin American countries, use social media to address the border issue, and publish Guyana’s position in Spanish-speaking newspapers in Latin America.

“The government has failed in terms of every promise it had made,” he said.

“You are inactive until Venezuela gets active,” Mr Norton added.

Minister of Home Affairs Robeson said the Amerindian communities on the border have been providing timely information to authorities.

He advocated for the removal of Mr Norton as Opposition Leader because of his divisive utterances during the debate on the parliamentary motion.

Mr Nandlall added that “today should be the end of his (Norton’s) political career” because he has broken decades of critical bipartisan support on border matters.

Mr Nandlall said even in the hardest period of Guyana’s political history, his People’s Progressive Party had unflinchingly supported the then People’s National Congress-led administration on the issue of the border.