While he would not divulge contents of the discussions, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday disclosed that he spoke last week with former United States President and Head of the Carter Center Jimmy Carter, who was also expected to speak with President David Granger.
“I thought it’s necessary for Guyanese to know that I received a call and I spoke with him. I’d prefer to keep a little quiet about the contents at this point in time until I hear back from him, as to whether he had in fact spoken with President Granger,” Jagdeo said when asked by Stabroek News about the contents of the discussion.
It is not known if Carter has spoken to Granger as there has been no word from him or the Ministry of the Presidency.
This newspaper contacted Ministry of the Presidency Communications Director Mark Archer, who said that when he sees the president today he will ask about the phone call.
Two months after the December 21st vote on a no-confidence motion, a team from the Carter Center came to Guyana for what it called an exploratory mission. The two representatives, Associate Director Brett Lacy and Legal and Electoral Advisor Anne Marlborough, had met with government, the opposition and members of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to gather information on preparations for the holding of polls.
GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Warde had explained that the reason for the Atlanta, Georgia-based organisation’s presence. “They indicated that they have been following developments in the country in relation to the no-confidence motion and wanted to meet with the commission to find out about the laws governing preparations for general and regional elections. It was just for information—a fact finding mission— after which they would prepare a report for their seniors,” she said.
Ward had noted that Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield had provided the two representatives with key details in terms of the secretariat’s work and timelines and those commissioners who were present were allowed to express their position.
It is unclear if the team has completed its report on that visit or if it was that report that triggered the call to Jagdeo by Carter.
Last September, following months of no engagement between Granger and Jagdeo, Carter intervened, calling both sides to try to get them to hold discussions on the country and seemingly paved the way for the long-awaited talks.
However, that engagement did not get far.
Carter, 93, has had a long history of association with Guyana, dating back to the 1990s, when he brokered sweeping electoral reforms between the administration of the late President Desmond Hoyte and the opposition PPP. These reforms included counting at the place of poll and an expanded elections commission where the Chairman was selected on the basis of what came to be known as the Carter-Price formula. That formula was discarded in 2017 by the Granger administration.
The Center played a pivotal part in the observing of the 1992 general elections which saw the PNC losing office to the PPP/C. The Center has since monitored a number of elections here, including the 2015 general elections when the APNU+AFC coalition was elected to government.
Meanwhile, Jagdeo yesterday also praised newly-appointed US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch for her saying that the US supports genuinely free and fair elections. “We are quite pleased about this as we were about other statements that emanated from different sources,” Jagdeo said.
He informed that he will continue calling on the international community to not recognise the Granger led government after the 21st of this month and that they impose sanctions on the country.
Jagdeo pointed out that he was surprised by the president saying, in welcoming Lynch, that both countries should ensure mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. “Today he is lecturing about mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,” he said as he noted that it was the same Granger that had called for sanctions in 2014 when former President Donald Ramotar had prorogued the parliament.
Questioned on if he felt it was duplicitous of the PPP to condemn the United States through the infamous 2014 “feral blast” by then PPP/C Minister of Education Priya Manickchand for allegedly interfering locally and now seeking international support, Jagdeo said it was two different circumstances. “It was not the concern about the statement about local government elections that triggered what may seem a hard response from the government at that time. It was the personal comments about President Ramotar and that we take strongly,” he said.
