Members of the Organisation of the American States (OAS) this afternoon called for the David Granger administration to allow a peaceful transition of power in Guyana even as government representatives maintained that the process is still to be completed and the declaration by the GECOM Chair will be recognised once it is in accordance with the law.
With a result for the March 2nd general elections still pending, the OAS members made their concerns known at a specially convened meeting of the organisation’s Permanent Council, following a request by Secretary General Luis Almagro.
The OAS mounted a mission to Guyana’s general elections and also observed the recount of votes. The Permanent Council meeting underlines the international disrepute that has befallen Guyana’s elections which has seen an outright attempt at rigging by the District Four Returning Officer and the fabrication of a final result by the Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield who continues to defy instructions from the GECOM Chair Claudette Singh.
While speaker after speaker, including the representative from Venezuela, called on the APNU+AFC’s administration to concede and allow the will of the people to be recognized, de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Karen Cummings and de facto Attorney General, Basil Williams, who was not originally slated to speak, maintained that no declaration has been made and that the rule of law is being respected in Guyana.
The speakers also made it clear that the calls and pronouncements by various countries and international bodies are not interference in Guyana’s affairs, as has been claimed by the Guyana Government and its supporters, but are in keeping with the various treaties that the country has signed on to.
The United States’ representative said that there had been 18 months of chaos in Guyana since the December 2018 no confidence vote in the National Assembly which defeated the Granger administration. He referred to the July 15th 2020 announcement of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that there will be visa restrictions for those who undermine democracy in Guyana and their family members after months of warnings and expressions of concern.
He noted the fact that many other countries have come on board since, including Canada and the United Kingdom, in favour of sanctions being imposed on Guyana, and questioned whether the leadership of the Guyana Government prefers the country to be in a state where its leaders are restricted from travelling. He maintained that the US has no preference for any party but only in ensuring that the will of the people is respected.
Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, who had headed the OAS observer mission for the March 2nd elections in Guyana, once again gave an overview of the fraudulent actions of some as they attempted to give APNU+AFC an election victory.
Golding underscored the fact that elections are held to determine the will of the people and once the wishes are clearly stated they must be upheld. He noted that the people of Guyana had been patient for much longer than can be reasonably expected while they await the results of the process that was conducted properly.
Guyanese, he said, deserved a peaceful transition of government.
“The pernicious actions of a few has done damage to Guyana’s image”, Golding said, adding that it will take a generation and significant institutional reform for that damage to be repaired.
“The people of Guyana did not deserve this,” he commented.
However, Dr. Cummings, in her presentation pointed out that the electoral process has not been completed, and its completion rests with the entity legally authorised to pronounce on the electoral process in Guyana – GECOM. She said that President Granger has publicly stated that he will abide by any declaration that GECOM’s chairperson makes in keeping with the laws of Guyana. The qualifier `in keeping with the law’ of the country was recently stated by Granger in what observers say is a sign that a declaration in favour of the opposition PPP/C might still not be accepted.
No mention was made by Dr Cummings of the fact that Chairperson Singh has asked the commission’s Chief Election Officer to prepare a report based on the results of the recount of the elections which shows a victory for the opposition PPP/C.
Dr. Cummings said that there has been no breakdown of law in Guyana and that the electoral process is managed by GECOM, an independent body constitutionally charged to conduct elections. “The executive has never tried to interfere or instruct GECOM…” she said.
“Guyana is a democratic nation and intends to remain so… further there is no breakdown in law and order in Guyana, [the country] remains a peaceful law abiding state,” she said as she called for the international community to remain patient and not to seek to influence the legal processes in Guyana.
Williams, whose presentation sounded more like a campaign speech and had to be interrupted and told he should conclude his intervention, said that the picture painted of doom and gloom in Guyana is not one that is true as he added that the only statements of poll (SOPs) that mattes are the ones in the possession of GECOM. While the PPP/C has released its SOPs showing that it won the elections neither APNU+AFC nor GECOM has released theirs.
Williams said that Guyana is getting to the point of a declaration but that it has had a lot of outside interference and asked that the country be given a chance.
He also spoke of the country being a narco state prior to 2015 which was blacklisted and it was at this point he was interrupted and told he should conclude his presentation.
The opposition’s Prime Ministerial candidate Mark Phillips, also spoke at the meeting. He called on APNU+AFC to respect the will of the people of Guyana, the rule of law and respect the democratic norms and values of OAS and concede that they lost the elections,
“The declaration is just a formality as the result of the elections is in a public document which shows that the PPP won the elections,” he said.
