Facing questions over the hiring of a United States (US) lobbying firm to push the claim that the opposition is seeking to stage a coup, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon yesterday maintained that no taxpayer funds are being used for the campaign and that it is the APNU+AFC coalition’s incensed supporters who are funding it.
“I would say to you that this is not funds that have been from the government… our supporters and friends abroad have come together, put together their $100, lil $2,000 and they are paying for this. No money is coming from the government treasury,” Harmon told reporters yesterday morning after an inspection of the Civil Defence Commission’s operations.
No official results have been declared from Guyana’s March 2 elections after the tabulation of results for the largest region was discredited by observers and contesting parties except for the incumbent APNU+AFC, which has claimed victory. As a result, the David Granger-led administration has been warned against attempting to swear him in based on the discredited results. A CARICOM-brokered initiative for a recount, which was agreed to by Granger, has since been stymied.
Harmon yesterday argued that supporters of the incumbent “are very incensed” at the narrative which continues to be perpetuated on a daily basis and reached out to offer assistance, hence the retention of the firm. His position, appeared to contradict both an official statement made on Wednesday by the coalition as well as the submissions made by the firm, JJ&B LLC, to the United States government’s Department of Justice.
In an “official release” from its Facebook page, APNU+AFC maintained that “as a government” it had “a duty to ensure the country is not portrayed as the PPP were trying to do.”
It added that its government respects the constitution, lives by the rule of law and abides by the decision of our courts. “Every country has a right to protect its interest,” the brief statement concluded.
Harmon reiterated that “as a government” the coalition has the right to ensure that developments in the country should not be derailed by a narrative contrary to the facts. He reminded that at his last press conference he explained that government would be working to change the narrative within the international community.
Additionally, as part of its submission under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the firm JJ&B LLC has stated that it has been employed to represent the “Government of Guyana” rather than the “APNU+AFC coalition.”
It is not clear how “party funds” would or could be used to fund a “government activity” nor how the “government of Guyana” could choose to engage a firm on behalf of the “APNU+AFC” as the two entities are legally distinct.
“Coup”
Despite these contradictions, JJ&B LLC has already started sharing an APNU+AFC dossier, which accuses the opposition PPP/C of seeking US support to stage “a coup” against the Granger government, in order to advance the APNU+AFC’s case with US government officials.
It is unclear how such a coup would be conducted and APNU+AFC has itself been accused of that.
According to its submissions filed under the United States’ Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which identifies the government as its client, JJ&B LLC “will be contacting officials of the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government in order to seek resolution of disputes regarding Guyana’s recent presidential election, and in order to improve relations between Guyana and the United States. We also will be providing information to news media.” Harmon is listed as a point of contact.
The firm, which notes that a written contract does not exist but that it has been paid a retainer of US$40,000 for the month of April, was required to make a public disclosure under the FARA law, which stipulates that agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities or other activities specified under the statute make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities. The FARA Unit of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section in the National Security Division (NSD) of the Department of Justice is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the law.
The dossier, which has been shared with at least three members of the US House of Representatives, repeats several claims which the coalition has made and makes several new ones.
Consistently repeated is the position that the opposition stormed the Region Four Counting Office in order to stop the declaration of results with which they did not agree.
PPP/C presidential candidate Irfaan Alli and party leader Bharrat Jagdeo are specifically identified as dangers and are accused of encouraging a mob, some of whom were armed, to storm the building.
Refused to concede
In the main, the dossier argues that incumbent APNU+AFC has won the March 2 polls and that the opposition PPP/C, which has refused to concede defeat, has sued for a recount.
It argues that all allegations of fraud related to the declaration of results in Electoral District Four “have arisen solely from one political party producing Statement of Polls (SOPs) different from those held by the constitutional authority responsible for the elections.”
“They have provided no evidence to support an allegation that GECOM’s SOPs could be fraudulent,” the dossier concludes.
This statement is not accurate as with the exception of the incumbent all parties which contested elections in Region Four have stated that the declaration from Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo was not credible. His initial declaration was invalidated by the High Court as it was not done in accordance with the law.
International and local observers who were present for the count have also questioned the veracity of the declarations from Mingo. The coalition has dismissed these statements. Western countries, notably the United States have held to the position that the District Four count was not credible and the process has to be drawn to a quick conclusion.
Eight parties all applied to have a full recount of the votes cast in Region Four. This request was denied by Mingo. While Granger and Jagdeo agreed to a recount, which was to be facilitated by CARICOM, an APNU+AFC candidate, whom the coalition has described as “a private citizen,” challenged its legality in court.
“Observers and diplomats have apparently bought into the PPP/C’s narrative without sufficient objective examination of the facts and in the absence of any evidence to support fraud,” the dossier says before specifically accusing the British Foreign Minister of intervening at the behest of oil companies.
According to the dossier, when the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned the government not to swear in President Granger on the basis of the flawed results, he was “purportedly representing British Petroleum and Shell to access the new oil and gas finds”.
Further, the dossier suggests that U.S Assistant Secretary of State Michael Kozak, who issued a similar warning, was, however, making statements which were deliberately orchestrated by the PPP and their consultants in the US.
Threat to US interests
The dossier also seeks to paint any potential PPP/C government as a threat to US interests in the region.
“The Guyanese opposition party founded… as a Marxist party is led by some very dangerous people who have undermined US interest in the region for more than 20 years [including] promoting China’s interest not only in Guyana but in the region as a whole serving as ambassador for China in regional forums,” it contends.
It states specifically that Jagdeo has consistently worked to undermine Exxon’s position in Guyana and argues that the PPP established a base for China in Guyana by gifting Chinese businesses 5% of Guyana’s territory for logging and other unauthorized ventures.
China was also, according to the dossier, granted access to Guyana’s rare minerals and Chinese nationals received expedited and preferential citizenship.
These measures, it contends, have increased the Chinese population in Guyana to 10% of the total.
“Guyana is in danger of falling into China’s orbit,” the dossier warns.
This aspect of the dossier is likely to create disharmony between APNU’s main party, the PNCR and China with which it has had historically strong ties both in and out of government.
Further claims include a “decades long” friendship between Nicolas Maduro and Jagdeo, which was apparently fostered through a liaison in Russia.
“No wonder the private jet carrying a Cuban, Libyan and Russian who came to Guyana to work for the PPP during the elections originated in Venezuela,” it adds.
The dossier also argues that if the PPP gets control of Guyana then China and Russia will control the northern region of South America, from Venezuela to Suriname and natural resources far exceeding Saudi Arabia’s.
