State Minister Joseph Harmon has said he recently briefed Charge d’Affaires of the United States Embassy Terry Steers-Gonzalez on the no-confidence motion against government and subsequent developments.
The Ministry of the Presidency last Friday released a photograph of the two men at a meeting but no further details were provided.
Approached after the opening ceremony of the Guyana Defence Force’s Annual Officers’ Conference at State House on Thursday, Harmon disclosed that the meeting was one of several held with the diplomatic community in wake of the no-confidence motion, which was declared carried following a vote on December 31st. Harmon noted that the government has met with the American, British, Canadian, European, Chinese and Indian missions, among others. He also informed that the government will provide further updates to the diplomatic community if they become necessary.
Harmon explained that it is government’s intention to ensure that there are regular briefings on the situation as the administration sees it and as Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge advises.
He said that none of the diplomats have expressed concerns about the current situation.
On December 21st, a positive vote by then APNU+AFC member Charrandass Persaud on an opposition PPP/C sponsored no-confidence motion against the government tipped the scales 33 to 32 in favour of the motion. Consequently, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland ruled that the motion had been carried.
Scotland later refused an invitation by the government to reverse his decision on the motion, saying it could seek redress in court.
According to Harmon, Steers-Gonzalez during the meeting informed that the new Ambassador to Guyana has been accredited and once the US government shutdown has ended she will travel to Guyana.
US President Donald Trump last year nominated Sarah-Ann Lynch to be the new Ambassador.
Representatives of the major western missions were also briefed by the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on the recent passage of the motion and his party’s concerns.
Jagdeo subsequently said he made it clear to the international community that if elections are not held within 90 days of the passage of the motion, the opposition will treat the government “as illegitimate, unconstitutional and that no act that they engage in internationally or locally would be recognised and this will have major implications for Guyana, for investors and for all concerned.”
Jagdeo added that the PPP has also urged the diplomatic community to be involved in the process of free and fair elections through the various organisations they have supported in the past. He also expressed a desire for a “massive” observer group from all the agencies that traditionally observe elections in Guyana, including Caricom, the EU, the Organisation of American States, the Carter Center and the Commonwealth.
Government initially accepted the outcome of the vote but later retracted, saying that the position was not validity passed since 33 does not represent a majority and that Persaud was disqualified from voting because of his Canadian citizenship.
Three court cases were subsequently filed and are currently being heard by acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire SC.
The only diplomat who has publicly spoken about the motion is British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, who has urged calm on all sides. Quinn last week said that it is important that the court decision is made quickly “so we all know what happens next.”
