Member quits IDB committee over Venezuela decision

An attorney-at-law has relinquished his post as chairperson of an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) committee over the bank’s decision to interfere in that country’s domestic affairs by choosing to recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s President over the elected leader President Nicolas Maduro.

Lalu Hanuman told Barbados TODAY he had resigned as chairman of the IDB’s ConSoc Committee, as well as an ordinary member due to a recent decision by the IDB’s Board of Governors to recognize Guaido as head of the South American country.

Hanuman had held the position for the past four and a half years.

In a letter addressed to the IDB’s Operations Senior Associate Janette Archer-Headley, Hanuman said he could no longer continue in the position as the IDB’s stance was in breach of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Charter.

“It is with deep regret that I hereby tender my resignation with immediate effect from the IDB ConSoc Committee both as its Chairperson as well as an ordinary member.

“This decision is occasioned by the recent IDB’s Board of Governors’ decision to recognise the self-proclaimed Juan Guaido as President of Venezuela over the Constitutional President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. This interference in the domestic affairs of a member country is a flagrant breach of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Charter,” Hanuman said in the letter.

And while he pointed out that he held no hard feelings towards the IDB, he added: “I cannot out of principle continue to participate in the IDB ConSoc Committee in the circumstances of the Bank’s gross interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs.”

Hanuman explained that the ConSoc Committee was a composition of different civil society organisations in Barbados which makes recommendations to the IDB on projects they should fund in Barbados.

He said it was also the committee’s responsibility to comment whenever a country strategy was formulated.

Hanuman said he was in full support of Maduro and had been very active in Barbados in the Venezuela Solidarity campaign.

“As you know there is a constitutional president in Nicholas Maduro and they have opted to recognize the Opposition person as president. According to the Inter-American Development Bank’s Charter, they are not supposed to get involved in any internal affairs of any country, they are just to interact with the government. So what they are doing in effect is getting involved in internal matters to deal with Venezuela . . .” Hanuman said.

“I have been picketing outside the British High Commission…and also I have been picketing outside the American Embassy to do with the sanctions, which really are the cause of all the issues that currently beset Venezuela.”