Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton believes Guyana must significantly boost its military strength and capabilities amid increasing acts of aggression from neighbouring Venezuela, which continues to lay claim to parts of Guyana’s territory.

Within a period of five years, Venezuela has built a bridge on Ankoko Island, conducted a referendum on the Essequibo Region and subsequently signed into law the results of that referendum laying claim to Guyana’s territory in clear breach of the provisional orders handed down by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Over the past week, there was an incursion by a Venezuelan Coast Guard vessel in Guyana’s waters and the neighbouring country is also talking up plans to host elections for a Governor for Guyana’s Essequibo region.

At a press conference today, Mr. Norton said in addition to the approaches to the ICJ, and request for support from its bilateral and multilateral partners, Guyana must boost the capacity of the Guyana Defence Force.

“The evidence should be clear to all and sundry, that from the building of that bridge, that from the so-called ‘referendum’ on the Essequibo Region, that should signal to all of us, that the Government of Venezuela is becoming more and more aggressive, and that, we need to be prepared for it. I had said that to the president personally, not on this occasion, before, that we need to buy more weapons and that we need to train our people in jungle warfare, intensify that training. Carry it to the level it was in the 70s, so that people can have confidence that even before support comes, if we are invaded, we have the capacity to keep Venezuela at bay until we get the required assistance,” the Opposition Leader said.

Norton said there is a close correlation between the incursion and the recent attack on Guyanese military men at the country’s border with Venezuela.

“Now, this is occurring at a time, when the Government is treating Venezuelan migration as just a thing for election purposes. Giving them ID cards willy-nilly. When they should recognize that amid the migration, Maduro is going to put people to infiltrate and destabilize our society. And we not seeing a government that seems to be looking at this thing in context, and holistically and developing strategies to deal with the situation,” Norton said.

Norton also noted that Guyana must better position itself to respond to any other acts of aggression from Venezuela, and in order to do so, it must better equip its Defence Force, including with the use of technology to monitor its waters and airspace.

According to the Opposition Leader, the country has the financial resources to take the necessary actions to significantly enhance it military capabilities.

Last Saturday, Norton met with President Irfaan Ali hours after the Venezuelan incursion.

Norton said he was not at liberty to discuss a number of approaches being taken by the Government of Guyana in response to Venezuela’s acts of aggression.

However, he told reporters that he was disappointed that past recommendations put forward by the Opposition have not been acted on despite a commitment by President Ali.

Those recommendations include, dispatching Guyanese envoys across the Latin America and Caribbean Region to provide countries with the facts on Guyana-Venezuela Territorial Controversy, publishing ads in newspaper in Latin America on the controversy, mobilizing the support of African countries, and the creation of a broad base border commission.

He said those actions can act as a deterrent to Venezuela.

“Even if the International Court of Justice rule in our favor, that in itself will not prevent Venezuela, but the point to be made here, is that we must do everything in our capacity to ensure we deter Venezuela, and whenever Venezuela act or acts must always be seen as aggressive and unnecessary, and as a corollary of that, we will be able to obtain the support we need,” the Opposition Leader said.

He also expressed disappointment that despite a commitment by President Ali that there will be a strategic, well-focused public relations campaign at the local level to sensitize Guyanese on the controversy, that campaign is still to be begin.

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