Former Prime Minister and Vice President Moses Nagamootoo, who served in the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition Government from 2015 to 2020, has launched a blistering attack on the Irfaan Ali administration over Guyana’s failure to vote at the United Nations on a procedural motion concerning Cuba, accusing the Government of abandoning a decades-long foreign policy rooted in regional solidarity and support for Havana.

Guyana did not vote during a July 7 United Nations General Assembly procedural motion that paved the way for a debate on the impact of the United States’ economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba, including what Havana has described as a “fuel and food” blockade. The motion was adopted by 136 votes in favour, nine against and 30 abstentions, while Guyana was among the countries that did not cast a vote.

In a hard-hitting commentary titled “Three Letters, Three Words…“, posted on social media on Friday, Nagamootoo said Guyana’s absence from the vote represented more than a diplomatic misstep—it was a betrayal of a country that has stood by Guyana for decades through medical assistance, education, technical cooperation and trade.