See statement from the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party:
The United States’ military action in Venezuela and the removal of Nicolás Maduro fundamentally alter the geopolitical and security environment in which Guyana operates. This moment demands national unity, institutional maturity, and responsible leadership.
Guyana has had to continuously contend with sustained pressure and micro-aggressions from Venezuela arising out of its unlawful claim to Essequibo. 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.
These include the possibility of:
• increased cross-border movement and refugee flows
• retaliatory actions by Venezuelan actors operating within Guyana
• heightened threats to Guyanese citizens, infrastructure
• economic and security instability, particularly in border and hinterland regions.
WIN unequivocally calls for peace in the region. Stability in the Caribbean and South America serves the interests of all peoples and must be pursued through diplomacy, international law, and mutual respect. Guyana’s long-standing commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes and regional cooperation must remain firm and credible.
In circumstances such as these, no responsible government governs alone. Yet the Guyana government has chosen a path of unilateralism. It has refused to meaningfully engage the Opposition on matters of national security and effectively sidelined Parliament. This deliberate exclusion undermines Guyana’s ability 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.
The Constitution envisages moments exactly like this, moments when consultation, cooperation, and institutional balance are not optional but essential. A government that excludes half the electorate from discussions on national security weakens the country it claims to defend.
WIN therefore calls on the President to:
1. Convene immediately a meeting with the Opposition to discuss the potential security, humanitarian, and diplomatic implications of recent events in Venezuela
2. Speak directly to the nation, outlining the government’s assessment of risks, preparedness measures, and Guyana’s position going forward.
WIN also calls for an immediate meeting to elect the Opposition Leader, enabling the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on the Security Sector to collectively review our security policy during this critical period.
Silence, exclusion, and executive control are not strength. In moments of regional instability, unity is strength, transparency is strength, and constitutional governance is strength.
Guyana cannot afford division or democratic paralysis at a time when regional tensions may spill across our borders. Leadership now requires engagement, not avoidance; consultation, not control; and nationhood, not partisanship.
