Barbados Ambassador Noel Lynch yesterday told the Permanent Council of the OAS that irregularities in the March 2nd general elections occurred in the count of votes and not in the system and he vowed that CARICOM will see the ongoing recount through to a credible conclusion as it will not abide the erosion of democracy in the community.
Lynch spoke on behalf of CARICOM at the Organisation of American States (OAS) Permanent Council meeting on Guyana’s elections after the head of the OAS observer mission, Bruce Golding had detailed how the election results had been fiddled in favour of the incumbent APNU+AFC.
The Ambassador’s citing of irregularities only in the count is significant as in the week-old recount underway, APNU+AFC agents have sought to impugn the voting process on March 2nd.
In a forthright statement, Lynch also said that had observers from CARICOM and other organisations not been present at Guyana’s elections, a result not in accord with the will of the people might have been declared.
“Had these Observer Missions not persevered in Guyana, a result might have been declared that would not have commanded the acceptance of the Guyanese people, or the respect and approval of the international community”, Lynch told the virtual meeting which included OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro and Guyana’s Ambassador Riyad Insanally.
Lynch’s statement would be seen as a reference to the fictitious declaration for District Four by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo which was vitiated by Chief Justice Roxane George. That Mingo declaration was seen as taking the country to the brink of an illegal installation of the incumbent, David Granger as President.
A three-member CARICOM team is presently overseeing the recount and has a special scrutineering status which will see it possibly submitting a report to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at the end of the process.
Lynch noted that more than two months after polling day and after expressions of concern by all Observer Groups and several judgements by the Courts the recount of the votes is underway and that CARICOM has a special role.
“As regrettable and troubling that this long delay has occurred, it is important to acknowledge that a recount is now taking place, and that the process is being observed by local teams and external agencies, including the OAS.
“CARICOM countries have a special role. We have been invited by all political parties, with the consent of (GECOM), to scrutinize the recounting process.
“We are carrying out that key role diligently, under the guiding principle that every valid vote must be counted, and every vote must count”, he told the meeting.
He said that it is clear that the recount will go beyond the 25 days due to two factors: the intense scrutiny to which each ballot is being subjected for the satisfaction of all the contending political parties, and each observer mission and the physical distancing rules that have had to be applied because of COVID-19.
Fortunately, he said that the people of Guyana have demonstrated a commitment to a peaceful process, so that, in spite of frustration with the anomalies, there has been no violence, no social disruption and no civil disorder.
“The people of Guyana should be commended for their patience and for their commitment to democracy and their determination to maintain it”, he said.
There was one day of disorder – March 6th – over the election results that saw protests by PPP/C supporters in various parts of the country, the death of one person and attacks on the police and vehicles.
Lynch then went on to outline the seminal importance of democracy to CARICOM.
“Mr. Chairman, just as democracy matters to the people of Guyana, so it matters to the Caribbean Community of which the nation of Guyana is a valued member.
“That is why we of CARICOM regard ourselves as the most legitimate interlocutors in the Guyana situation. We have no interest in which political party wins the election.
“If each of the political parties genuinely believe it has won, then they should have no fear of the current recount, and they should all support it.
“CARICOM’s interest is that, at the end of the recounting process, democracy must be the winner”.
He also sounded a warning that CARICOM cannot allow the erosion of democracy in any member state.
“CARICOM countries are not merely a group of countries held together by rules; the majority of them are held together by values rooted in centuries of history and fraternity, and in a bitter struggle for their peoples’ rights, including the right to elect governments freely and fairly in a democratic process.
“If democracy fails in any CARICOM country, it fails in the larger Community. If it is imperilled in any part of our Community, it is imperilled everywhere in it. As an institution, CARICOM cannot allow this to happen in any member state.
“That is why CARICOM has been engaged, by invitation, in the general elections process in Guyana from the beginning, and why, by consent of all parties, we are scrutinizing the recount of the votes in an effort to see a transparent and credible result, and a legitimate government elected at its end.
“Democracy is sacrosanct in CARICOM as a Treaty Organisation, and the institution will not abide its erosion”, Lynch declared.
He added that the Guyanese people deserve a credible and transparent process to put into office a “legitimate government that they elected”.
He stated that CARICOM takes its scrutineering role in this recount “extremely seriously” and that the OAS Permanent Council would be kept apprised of the progress. .
He congratulated Golding on the “excellent job” that he and his team did on behalf of the OAS in observing the elections.
“We recognize that, with the financial support donated to the OAS Secretariat, Mr. Golding was able to remain in Guyana after polling day, and to maintain a strong presence, along with the Commonwealth, European Union and CARICOM teams, as controversy arose over the counting and tabulation of the votes”, Lynch added.
