WIN appeals for national unity to tackle threats from Venezuela after US strikes

Last Updated on Saturday, 3 January 2026, 14:16 by Writer

Warning that the United States’ removal of Nicolás Maduro from power could worsen tensions between Guyana and Venezuela, the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) on Saturday appealed for national unity to confront multiple threats from that western neighbour.

“Those tensions do not disappear because of regime change; in fact, they may intensify in unpredictable ways. We cannot pretend that the risks to Guyana are not real and immediate and can include a number of possibilities that can leave Guyana even more susceptible to reduced security,” said WIN which won 16 seats in the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections.

WIN said Guyana has had to continuously contend with sustained pressure and micro-aggressions from Venezuela arising out of its unlawful claim to Essequibo.

Those, that party said. could include the possibility of increased cross-border movement and refugee flows, retaliatory actions by Venezuelan actors operating within Guyana, heightened threats to Guyanese citizens and infrastructure, and economic and security instability, particularly in border and hinterland regions.

WIN said Guyana could not afford division or democratic paralysis at a time when regional tensions may spill over our borders. “Leadership now requires engagement, not avoidance; consultation, not control, and nationhood, not partisanship.”

Last year, a group of Venezuelans, along with Guyanese, were charged in connection with the bomb-blast death and injury to several others at a gas station in Georgetown.

Earlier in 2025, a police outpost and a Guyana Power and Light facility were bombed simultaneously. Three Spanish-speaking men are wanted for that incident.

With WIN contending that the US’ military action in Venezuela and the removal of Mr Maduro fundamentally alter the geopolitical and security environment in which Guyana operates, that party called for peace and stability in the Caribbean and South America through diplomacy, international law, and mutual respect.

But in Guyana, WIN said there must be national unity, institutional maturity and responsible leadership.

Rather than unilateralism, WIN called on the Irfaan Ali-led government to meaningfully engage the opposition on matters of national security through consultation, cooperation and institutional balance to present a coherent, national response to a regional crisis. “National security is not a party matter. It is not a PPP matter or an opposition matter. It is a Guyana matter,” WIN said.

WIN called on the President to convene immediately a meeting with the opposition to discuss the potential security, humanitarian, and diplomatic implications of recent events in Venezuela, speak directly to the nation, outlining the government’s assessment of risks, preparedness measures, and Guyana’s position going forward.

“Silence, exclusion, and executive control are not strength. In moments of regional instability, unity is strength, transparency is strength, and constitutional governance is strength,” WIN said.

WIN also called for an immediate meeting to elect the Opposition Leader, enabling the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Security Sector to review collectively our security policy during this critical period. “A government that excludes half the electorate from discussions on national security weakens the country it claims to defend,” WIN said.

The 12-seat A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Saturday also appealed to the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led administration for a national, unified approach to dealing with the humanitarian and security fallout from the strikes and arrest of Maduro and his wife.