A dangerous road to travel

THE EDITOR: While we need gas, must that gas be accessed by playing into the strategic and tactical geopolitical moves of a hegemonic power in its contest for global domination with the Russian and Chinese superpowers?

TT has established a long and respected record of standing on the principles of respect for the sovereignty of other nations and their right to self-determination and against interference in their internal affairs by big powers.

Are we now to squander that honourable record for the sake of gas at any cost and objectively joining with the US-NATO aggressive military bloc against the Sino-Russian aggressive military bloc?

Are we to take the side of the US in the new US-China cold war?

By accepting the self-proclaimed "right" of the US to appropriate the sovereign natural resources of Venezuela and accepting that the US can legitimately issue a licence to TT or any other country or multinational to exploit Venezuela’s resources has put us in the position of compromising our own sovereignty and becoming a willing lackey of a global power seeking complete global domination and put our country and our people in a very dangerous position.

Since when has any imperialist power, the old colonials of Europe or the neo-colonial US or the other big powers like Russia and China, ever had the interests of the Caribbean and its peoples at heart?

When has the US sought the economic or fuel security needs of the region or protected the environmental interests of the region and its nations?

The US, its president and vice president have no more interest of the Caribbean at heart than their predecessors who have organised many military adventures to impose brutal regimes in several countries of the Caribbean and Latin America.

NAFTA, Summit of the Americas, the so-called economic and trade treaties have never served Caribbean interests, but those of the US and its OAS military bloc.

We ignore this aspect of the Dragon gas licence at our own peril.

Yes, we need gas. Yes, we welcome gas.

But the pragmatic "by any means" will harm the fundamental interests of our country and people in ways that may not appear apparent as we call for celebration and applause because we are finally getting Venezuelan gas to prop up our failing hydrocarbon monocrop economy, just as the plantation cash crop monocrop economy eventually failed.

Once again, the necessity to build a balanced and sustainable economy continues to occupy a lower position on the totem pole of national priorities.

CLYDE WEATHERHEAD

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