The maritime pact
Editorial
The CGX rig was forced to move from its drilling site by Suriname gunboats on June 3. This was possible because the Government of Guyana had effectively ceded control of the area and the mouth of the Corentyne River to our eastern neighbour. Since that time, Surinamese activity on the Corentyne has intensified. Patrol boats from the state to the east interdict Guyanese vessels and some of our nationals have been arrested. The most recent case reported in our edition of yesterday, involved fifteen Guyanese fishermen who are still in custody in Nickerie after being apprehended near Whim last week Wednesday. It would also appear that aircraft have now joined the naval patrols, a development which was preceded by an actual territorial violation when Surinamese soldiers disembarked from a dinghy on the Scotsburg foreshore, and fired shots in the air as a crowd gathered. Three-and-a-half months after the CGX eviction, therefore, the situation vis-a-vis the river is worse than it was before. The Surinamese do as they please, and the GDF remains stranded on dry land unable to afford protection to local citizens. Yesterday we reported Minister of Fisheries Satyadeow Sawh as telling fishermen at the Number 66 fish port complex that the Government was very concerned about the seizure of vessels, and that "We are talking at the diplomatic level to arrive at a working solution with our Surinamese friends." Well, various Governments of Guyana have been talking to our Surinamese friends for very many years now, and it has never produced any result. One might have thought that the Minister hardly needed reminding that the problem is a lack of patrol boats, and the solution is the provision of appropriate patrol boats. Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj, in contrast, appeared more au fait with the real issue. "We hope to have a strong presence of the GDF coast guard on the Corentyne following the recapitalisation of the army... We have to defend all of our 83,000 square miles territory and maritime boundaries," we reported him as saying. It was made public some time ago that the Government had sent a team to the United States to identify suitable craft for the local Coast Guard. In addition, Dr Luncheon had told reporters that the Government would recapitalize the army, and would announce what was on the shopping list. That has not yet been done. However, let us not pretend. In our present straitened economic circumstances, the administration is in no position to purchase patrol craft. The funding for that would have to come from another source. That source would be via the drug interdiction programme contained in the draft maritime agreement with the United States. The Government had earlier declined to sign such an agreement, opting instead for a surveillance pact which is not yet operational. However, on Friday, September 1, Dr Luncheon told this newspaper that Guyana and the US were about to embark on negotiations for a maritime treaty. Several Caribbean nations earlier resisted the treaty, and territories like Barbados, succeeded in getting modifications to it. Most, however, including Suriname, have now signed it. In our present circumstances we have no option but to accede to it, although that does not mean that we should not negotiate for appropriate amendments as Barbados did. The priority at this time is ensuring our territorial integrity, and if the price of that is the maritime pact, then so be it. The real problem is that the Government traditionally has never displayed a sense of urgency about these matters, and urgency is what is called for now. The more emboldened Suriname becomes, and the longer she is allowed to treat our citizens with contumely, the more difficult it will be to arrest the problem. The maritime treaty cannot be avoided at this point of crisis, and the Government should cease dithering and bring it to a conclusion. The faster they do that, the sooner the Coast Guard can go into operation.
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