A protest on Saturday morning by the PPP/C outside of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling for the return of Carter Center observers was dispersed by the police who cited the emergency ministerial order on COVID-19 measures.
Two of the protesters were also charged and are to appear in court.
The protesters assembled outside the Ministry’s South Road office in keeping with the COVID-19 social distancing measures and held placards reading `Carter Center was instrumental in restoration of democracy in Guyana and they must be permitted to complete their task’, `We demand that the international observers be allowed to observe the recount’, `Granger is hiding and getting the task force to do his dirty work’ and `APNU/AFC lost the elections, trying to hang onto power by rigging’.
Among the protesters were PPP executive Priya Manickchand and party members Peter Ramsaroop, Jennifer Westford and Bheri Ramsaran.
However, shortly after they took up their positions, the police arrived at the location in an effort to stop the protest. A senior police officer, who headed the team, initially enquired about who headed the exercise.
The police informed Manickchand that “at this time, this gathering is illegal. It is unlawful during this period to be out here and I am asking you to disperse”.
Manickchand then questioned the senior rank about what “period” he was referring to and he responded, “the curfew period and in breach of the ministerial order”. The protesters maintained that they were not in breach of the curfew and that they were abiding with the COVID-19 guidelines. However, the senior rank said, “we have (an) excess of X amount of persons and is a crowd gathered here and I am asking you to allow the people to go home”.
Under the ministerial order promulgated on April 3rd there are to be no social gatherings by organisations including for a vigil. The persons who had gathered eventually left but not before two members including Neil Kumar was taken into police custody.
Manickchand on Saturday afternoon told Stabroek News that the duo was taken to the Brickdam Police Station where they were released on a sum of $20,000 bail each and ordered to appear in court in the new week.
Manickchand said she was unaware as to what they are being charged for. She told reporters that the protest is a representation of the country “objecting and protesting” the current administration’s refusal to allow international observers entry here to scrutinize the recount process.
“…..As we remain COVID compliant because we understand the importance of that, we have to protect our democratic rights…….It is very clear that there is a refusal to accept the will of the people of this country. We are engaged in a recount process. If you believe that people voted for you and you are going to form the next Government, then allow for the recount process to happen without all of the massive, petty delaying tactics and allow international bodies who were accredited and remain accredited….to come and scrutinize the recount,” Manickchand declared.
Meanwhile, Ramsaroop said the decision to have the Carter Center here should not be one to be made by caretaker President David Granger and his administration but rather the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Directing
“The Carter Center has a right to be here and Mr Granger said he is not involved but guess what? He is directing the show. He is determining what his comfort level is in terms of who should observe the recount. His comfort level is CARICOM. That is not his decision to make. It is GECOM’s decision to make. GECOM has invited the Carter Center and we want to make sure we have a transparent process. We need all observers here. They are trying to cheat the system,” Ramsaroop charged.
“We want the world to know that the people of Guyana require a credible, transparent recount. We want the winner to be declared…The COVID-19 has procedures and processes and GECOM needs to follow it…As long as GECOM follows the rules and regulations, the Chairperson ought to add the stations. Follow the rules…….we understand the severity of what is happening and we want to continue to follow all the rules…….GECOM needs to follow that and they need to increase the count so that we can get on with swearing in a new President,” he added.
Westford said that her party will continue to fight and remain vigilant since they sense something amiss.
“I am scared of the fact that they are refusing the Carter Center to come back here. There is something amiss and we have to be very vigilant and that’s the reason why we are here. We have to show our displeasure, we have to show our disgust…if they think that we are going to sit down and take this, they are lying. We are going to be protesting and we will have the support of the international society, as we have….and if they think they have won, they have not won this one. We will be here all the way. To the end we will fight for democracy,” she stated.
Before the recount had started, GECOM had invited all observer missions which had been accredited for the March 2 elections to return to observe the recount of the votes cast.
The exercise is being scrutinized by a high-level three-member team from CARICOM.
The Carter Center which is one of the five missions so far accredited had attempted to have one member of its team travel to Guyana May 4th to observe the process but failed to secure permission from the Government. On Friday, they had another of their requests denied.
In a letter dated, Friday May 15th, de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Karen Cummings told the US Ambassador here, Sarah-Ann Lynch that it may not be possible for the Carter Center and an advisor of the International Republican Institute to oversee the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections. She cited the changed circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cummings’ letter was in response to a diplomatic note from the US Embassy of May 14 which in turn supplemented an April 29 note on the return of the Carter Center team.
