Opposition leader Allen Chastanet, asserting that Venezuela is a ‘failed state,’ has criticised the Saint Lucia government’s failure to speak out against President Nicolas Maduro amid the border controversy with Guyana.
Venezuela claims Guyana’s resource-rich Essequibo region, comprising more than two-thirds of the country’s territory.
Although the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has yet to make a final ruling on the issue, and urged maintaining the status quo, Venezuela held a referendum recently in which voters supported annexing the disputed territory.
“Venezuela is wrong,” Allen Chastanet told reporters on the margins of a sitting of the House of Assembly on Tuesday.
“There’s an ongoing court case. You cannot all of a sudden unilaterally decide that you are going to take over a piece of land while you are still in court,” the former Prime Minister declared.
“This government wants to say, ‘Maduro is my friend’?” Chastanet said.
“I would have thought when the government of Saint Lucia went down to Venezuela a couple of weeks ago, they actually would have gone by boat and brought food with them to help out the people in Venezuela,” the United Workers Party (UWP) leader stated.
“Venezuela is a disaster when it comes to its economy. It is a complete failed state, and for this government to be standing in support of Venezuela at this particular moment, especially when a sister country like Guyana and we have so many Guyanese who have made their living here in Saint Lucia and exposing them and exposing us is absolutely insane,” Chastanet said.
He also indicated that Venezuela made an empty promise to supply Saint Lucia with bitumen for road repairs during Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre’s official state visit.
“It never existed. You are going to go down to Venezuela and Venezuela is going to promise you bitumen? They can’t export anything. There’s no currency. There’s no government. It’s shameful. It tells you the level of desperation this government must have to go down to Venezuela and get help from Venezuela,” Chastanet said.
He also noted that the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela would meet in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday.
However, the UWP leader questioned what the gathering would achieve.
“A meeting to discuss what?” Chastanet told reporters.
He added that he agreed with former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Guyana-born Sir Shridath Ramphal.
Ramphal has warned against false expectations, emphasising the need to understand the limit of Thursday’s talks.
The former Commonwealth Secretary-General observed that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders were aware that the Guyana-Venezuela matter was before the ICJ, the proceedings of which could not be compromised.
In addition, Guyana’s President has, on numerous occasions, made it clear that the border case before the ICJ will not be an issue for bilateral discussions.
Clown you are so desperate for attention it’s not even funny anymore………quite annoying if you ask me. What position this government takes is what it feels to take the lives or reputation of St Lucians or St Lucia on whole is not in danger for doing so. You are like a drowning man clinging to straw the SLP Government is not the only government in the region to take this stance. Venezuela is a failed state is NOT BY CHOICE he knows damn well who the culprit are….the same ones who made Cuba Haiti Lybia, Iraq, a fail state. The whole of Guyana was once Venezuela, it’s England that crave it out just like they did Palestine check your colonial map and learn some history before you open your yellow mouth
In a situation like what exists between Guyana and Venezuela, it’s obvious that diplomacy is the most important avenue to solving this age old issue. The Caribbean region is not know for armed conflicts, at least not in my lifetime. So stoking divisiveness is NOT the answer. In the middle east, certain countries have taken on the role of mediator between Israel and Palestine. To be an effective mediator you don’t go out GUNS BLAZING against one side. Also countries that belong to regional groupings, formulate their stance and stick together. To think or do otherwise is not in keeping with good Governance or respect for global peace. Leaders MUST put aside their petty egos and act in the best interest of their countries.
As right thinking citizens of Saint Lucia, we cannot follow egoistic men using this opportunity to impress the USA. This was done after Trump met with a few “CARICOM Break Away” Prime Ministers. St Lucia’s them PM being one of them. Brisas were
even after the US Vice President has stated her admiration for St Lucia’s current PM
Chastanet is a failed Prime Minister wrong for Saint Lucia.
Chastanet, you’re no more than an embicile. Day by day you’re proving how worthless you’re were as a Prime Minister. You made St.lucia a failed state, investor’s didn’t want to do business with you as a government and now you’re calling another,Nation a failed state.
You should have known, that whenever,a government enter an agreement with another Nation all the necessary paperwork must take place before you can receive any grant. Have you ever seen a government visit another and bring food along with them?
When will you stop your foolishness,you have failed yourself and us as a,Nation, we’re intelligent enough to read through you.
You’re worthless, shameless,( non compos mentis), not of the sound mind and understanding,to lead us again.
“Jackarse, that’s where you’ll be on the outside talking shit”.
Visas were imposed on Venezuelans at that time and diplomatic relations went south. The then Venezuelan Ambassador disappeared, after St Lucia had had diplomatic relations with Venezuela since 1979 under Sir John.
An escalation of this situation has serious implications for us in the region, especially for those of us who have no where to run to, or who are not products of other countries.
If CARICOM’S position is St Lucia’s position, what does the PM have to say other that what has already been said. The LOO wants the PM to break away from CARICOM like he did, bringing shame on us as a country.
PA ICI-A, LOT KOTÉ
https://www.stvincenttimes.com/sir-dennis-byron-praises-st-vincent-pm-for-guyana-venezuela-dialogue/
Chastenet, you are out of place and out of touch by making such a comment to paint Venezuela in such light. You can’t denigrate Venezuela and it’s people who for the most part have no political control over what’s happening….to say that you thought the government of Saint Lucia would go by boat and bring food to Venezuela does not paint you are a purveyor of humanitarianism but it surely betrays your intentions of you trying to berate Venezuela…if find this disgusting, lack of diplomatic tact and tasteless…
The vz-guy issue is just a hype situation. VZ know it cannot invade Guyana and Guyana knows it can’t defend itself apart from outside support, USA, UK, Canada. VZ is not a fail state the USA sanctions and propaganda machine is making ppl think otherwise. Ralph want to be seen as Caribbean problem solver. He dabble in cricket, Haiti, cruise liners during covid, Barbados and immigration border issues, almost any regional deliquescencies he automatically get involved even the Belize situation. The Irfan and Jagdeo should never meet to discuss nothing, it will only contravene the ICJ. And understand well the ICJ did give the colonial rule when it was British Guyana, VZ lobby and protest it, they were given due course to do so but fail to make there stance. This is a century+ long border dispute out age the Gaza nonsense. St. Lucia is a fail state, have to borrow money to pay it’s workers and depends on 98% of import to feed it’s people. Asians have to come and teach the people about how to do agriculture when the offsprings are agricultural descendants. Recalculate your vocal cord narrative, check your very own and tell me why St. Lucia is not a fail state, before you go calling out another and yours are worst.
If there’s OIL there you know who’s instigating in the shadows
Chastanet is one of the biggest failures in St. Lucia’s politics. He doesn’t have a clue! Just as his boss, Donald Trump. It was Trump who advised Chas to join the Lima Group. Tell me how that worked out for you!
The voice of caricom is one! Unlike you who went on your own and joined the Lima Group. What that got you was a wait in a lobby looking like the idiot that you are.
Chastanet Says Venezuela Is A ‘Failed State,’ Wrong In Guyana Border Controversy as a desperate attempt to stay relevant
Chastenet has said some pretty stupid things in the past but his comments on this issue go past those. It is obvious to me that he doesn’t have a clue about this issue and it would be better if he kept his mouth shut rather than displaying his ignorance, trying to escalate the dispute which needs to be calmed down and thinking that he’s scoring political points against the Labour Party. He needs to grow up.
Re Article! This man should stay away from the Mike.. Drop the Mike and bring a boatload of food to the failed state and be quite..
He is suffering from mental and verbal diarrhea..
As long as the CARICOM Countries stick together as one, Venezuela must back down; it is written in MATH. 12:25 A House divided against it self cannot stand.
It is times such as these that we should seek the Lord for guidance to set our house in order.