Former Guyanese Diplomat, Ambassador Ronald Austin, has warned that Guyana must not take the build up of Venezuelan soldiers in the bordering regions lightly, noting that there appears to be mixed messages from Caracas in relation to the build up of the Venezuelan military in areas close to the border with Guyana.

Appearing on the PNC’s Facing the Nation programme over the weekend, Mr. Austin said the Government of Guyana needs to take a more proactive approach towards the situation, and not the relaxed posture that it has seemingly taken.

“I heard that the Government said they are studying the matter based on what they have seen in the media. I worry because something like that should have been reported directly from Eteringbang, or from Caracas where we have an Embassy, granted there is no Ambassador in place right now, but the government should not depend on the social media for information to deal with a question as massive and as significant as this, that is very worrisome,” the Diplomat explained.

Ambassador Austin said the building up of Venezuela troops in the bordering region with Guyana, should not be taken lightly.

But even with that build up, he noted that Guyana has not outlined a plan on how it intends to address the issue, whether diplomatically or otherwise.

Austin also accused the Government of not doing well in informing the Guyanese people about the situation, therefore leaving citizens in the dark.

He said there is a clear need for continuous education of citizens on the border issue, observing that Venezuela has been pushing certain narratives frequently to its citizens about the border controversy while Guyana has been lacking in that regard.

“I don’t think the average citizen can tell you precisely what is happening on the border. What the average citizen knows is that there is something significant is going on and they are just guessing as to what the import is,” the Ambassador noted.

Mr. Austin said believes there is a need for increased monitoring of the bordering regions and proper analysis of the situation.

Contending that Guyana has a solid case before the International Court of Justice as it seeks a final juridical settlement, Ambassador Austin said the Guyana Government must do its part and break down the issues regarding the controversy with Venezuela.

He has suggested the start of frequent government programmes on the issue to keep the population informed.

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