President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo met together with a visiting delegation of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government on Wednesday night and committed to upholding the law to resolve the current elections impasse, CARICOM Chairperson and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley reported yesterday.
“…We met with the President and Mr. Jagdeo together in order to be able to chart a way forward. We, the leaders of the CARICOM community, are committed to working with the people of Guyana for a free and fair process and we made it clear because there is simply too much at stake for the people of Guyana,” Mottley told the press in a brief statement at the Marriott Hotel’s third floor executive lounge, shortly before leaving for the airport.
Flanked by prime ministers Ralph Gonsalves, of St Vincent and the Grena-dines, Dr Keith Mitchell, of Grenada, Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, and Dr Keith Rowley, of Trinidad and Tobago, who accompanied her for the two-day visit, Mottley said that both Granger and Jagdeo told the group that they desire a transparent process and also undertook to meet with their Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) representatives about a resolution.
“Both sides committed to the fact that they want to abide by the laws of Guyana and the constitution of Guyana. They have also committed… that they believe there ought to be a free and fair transparent process. Pursuant to that, they met with… their own commissioners with GECOM and we can only hope, therefore, that both sides will be able to put in place a mechanism that will allow for a fair and transparent process, because as I said last Saturday, every vote must be counted,” she said.
“The Chief Justice of Guyana ruled yesterday and her ruling was completely clear—that she expects the Returning Officer to start anew or complete the process with respect to the SOPs [Statements of Poll] and we hope and pray there will be an adherence to, not just the law of the judgment but the spirit of the judgment, because she was very clear in the last few paragraphs of what she expects…that is critical if this country will go forward,” she added.
Government and the opposition have been asked to speak to their respective supporters and appeal for calm as the process continues.
Before leaving, the delegation reiterated that CARICOM would not accept attempts to stall the process.
“This morning we have also said that any attempt to stall the process or obfuscate the process is one that runs against the spirit of the Chief Justice’s judgment,” Mottley said.
After finding that the purported declaration of results for Region Four by Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo was unlawful, Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire on Wednesday ordered that GECOM begin bringing itself in conformity with the law no later than 11 yesterday morning.
However, less than two hours after the restart of the tabulation process yesterday morning, the proceedings were once again suspended by GECOM’s Chairperson Claudette Singh after Mingo’s attempt to use contentious spreadsheets prompted objections. Singh indicated that a decision would be made on resumption after she read the ruling of the court.
Last evening, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward notified that the count will restart at 9 am today but said that it was up to Mingo to decide what method of tabulation he would use.
‘Against the spirit’
Mottley noted that it was against the background of the Chief Justice’s ruling that the visiting leaders hoped that GECOM’s Returning Officer for Region Four acts with wisdom and the understanding that “he holds, in his hand, the future and stability of Guyana because every vote must be counted.”
Mottley had last Saturday called on GECOM officials and the political leadership to work together to ensure that the tabulation of the results from last
week Monday’s polling is done according to the law in order for a peaceful and legal completion of the process.
“…All parties must work hard to ensure that there is peace on the roads and in the communities across Guyana. There has already been one death reported overnight. That is one death too many,” she added, in reference to the fatal shooting of a Berbice youth, who the police force said was attacking two of its ranks with a cutlass.
She had also noted earlier pronouncements by both CARICOM and the CARICOM electoral observation mission, for GECOM to complete the electoral process, in wake of the interruption of the tabulation of the results for Region Four, which will decide whether the incumbent APNU+AFC or the opposition PPP/C has won the presidency. GECOM released results for the region on Thursday although the process was not completed.
The Chief Justice on Wednesday voided the declaration of results made by the Region Four Returning Officer and ordered that a full verification of the results be done.
Last Friday, the head of the CARICOM Electoral Observation Mission, Cynthia Combie-Martyr, said that the mission accepted that the tabulation process, which commenced on Wednesday, using the SOPs and which was in accord with the law, was interrupted and remains incomplete.
Furthermore, she said it was evident that the transparent tabulation of results for the region must be resumed under the independent control of the Returning Officer, as these scores are necessary and critical in order to determine the outcome of the national polling.
‘Too much at risk’
Before leaving yesterday, Mottley said that every person must be satisfied that their vote counted and the process was fair, even as she informed that she pointed out to both Granger and Jagdeo on Wednesday night that the onus is on them to ensure that their supporters keep the peace and uphold the laws.
If they could not come to a compromise, she said, CARICOM is ready to stay engaged until the situation is resolved.
“Georgetown is the home, the sea, of the Caribbean community. Guyana is a founding member of CARICOM, and it is against that background that we made it clear that as a community of sovereign nations that we cannot be involved with the internal process, but we are family and family do not stand by and watch others in the family suffer without making themselves available to aid the process. We have tried to do that but we are also conscious that we are successful as the parties involved want it to be successful. And while we can create the way for them to speak, they have to have the will for this to work,” she said.
“Everyone has a right to determine if the process was fair to them and the right to ask for a recount. I am satisfied that the President and the Leader of the Opposition are aware of our position. I am satisfied that they too have agreed to act in the best interest of this country but they must ensure too, that those under them, will act in that way. Failing that, I believe, that we will have to keep engaged. This is not a single event, this is a process and we are cognizant that we didn’t get here overnight or would miraculously change overnight. The most important thing at this point, even as we fight this Corona …virus, is for the people of Guyana to remain calm, to remain patient and to allow us to help both sides and their supporters understand that it is only through a transparent and open process that we can go forward,” she added.
Alluding to Guyana’s economic potential with the recent start of oil production, Mottley pleaded with this country’s political leaders to not let the opportunity bypass its people for politics. With the endorsement of the other members of the delegation, she said both sides have a duty to ensure that this country doesn’t become undemocratic and unruly. “This country is on the cusp of turning the corner economically, but it must also be on the cusp of making every Guyanese a winner and not a loser. Our fear is, if the process is not transparent, that we put at risk too much and I, therefore, hope that the people of Guyana will work together to ensure that there is peace, calm. One life lost is one too many,” she said.
