`My words of encouragement are: talk, communicate, debate, and listen. You know it’s through conversations that we all grow and we all learn from each other, and political parties, government officials are no different than citizens. It’s important to communicate to talk in order to be successful and grow’
The United States believes that both the government and the opposition want what is best for Guyana and as such they should begin discussions among themselves and include all stakeholders on creating that path for success, outgoing United States Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch says.
“The people of both the government and the opposition want the same; I think they both want the same for the people of Guyana. They both want to see success. They both want people to thrive. I think they want to see a government that provides opportunities for its people, put policies in place that ensure that people can improve their quality of life, I think both want to see a thriving private sector that will create interesting and diverse jobs for the people of Guyana,” Ambassador Lynch told Stabroek News yesterday in an exclusive interview.
Having spent nearly five years here, the American envoy said that civil society plays a key role in the inclusivity process.
“And I think it’s important also not to leave out civil society. I think it’s very important that civil society, that its role is taken seriously, in terms of holding these politicians accountable, so that people – the citizens of Guyana can succeed,” she added.
To the two main political parties here – the PPP/C that is in government and the APNU+AFC that is in opposition – the Ambassador offered direct words of encouragement.
“My words of encouragement are: – talk, communicate, debate, and listen. You know it’s through conversations that we all grow and we all learn from each other, and political parties, government officials are no different than citizens. It’s important to communicate, to talk in order to be successful and grow,” she emphasized.
It is not the first time that the Ambassador has underscored inclusivity. She has repeatedly called on leaders of the country to have frank discussions with the populace and foster development in the areas of inclusivity, transparency and fairness, among others.
In March of this year, at a reception for a high-level US congress team she echoed Washington’s position. “While there are still challenges to overcome, we believe that meaningful discussions and continued inclusivity can foster solid relationships, and craft solutions to meet shared challenges. We encourage the government to keep striving towards transparency, accountability, and fairness to improve the quality of life for all Guyanese,” she had said.
Best shot
Asked if now at the end of her tour of duty here she believes that enough is being done in these areas, she said, “I don’t think that enough could ever be done in Guyana or the United States or any nation, to be honest. I think inclusive policies are one of the keys to success. Also, fighting corruption – another key to success. These issues, I think, they crop up in really every nation across the globe, from time to time …but paying attention to those two areas is really critical,” she added while homing in on Guyana
“In terms of inclusivity, I think Guyana has its best shot at success if, in this transformative day , if it includes all the peoples; regardless of race; regardless of ethnicity; regardless of gender; regardless of religion; regardless of disability; and regardless of geography,” she added.
In Guyana, she noted that when decision planning is done, the coastlanders take centre stage and as such she advises including rural areas.
“I think it’s important a lot of times, we’re all many of us I should say are kind of focused here in Georgetown and focused on the coast but this is a big country. Maybe a small population, but a big country with a big hinterland and I think including rural Guyana in these opportunities is important as well. But all of these groups [listed], I think it’s very important to make sure people have equal access to opportunities and equal chances at improving their quality of life, through opportunities here in Guyana today,” she underscored.
And the United States continues to be a steadfast partner in working with Guyana to overcome some of its critical challenges in the areas of governance, economic development, and security, that position has not changed, she asserted.
“In the future, we want to continue to help build a Guyana that is competitive, equitable, and provides upward social mobility for all its citizens. Leveraging our close economic links to bring greater prosperity and opportunities for the Guyanese people is an important cornerstone of our engagement here and we will continue to work with the government and people of Guyana towards achieving these objectives”, she had told the congressional reception.
President Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton met for the first time on May 13, 2022 and there has been little engagement since. Instead Norton has filed several legal actions over appointments made by the President and has sought a ruling from the court on what meaningful consultation entails.
On Monday, on the sidelines of the National Toshaos Council Conference 2023, President Ali was asked about him reaching out to Norton to have discussion, as it seems Norton is not inclined to do so.
He said that he has tried, and that started by offering Norton a handshake but the Opposition Leader had refused.
“What stops him from reaching out? I reached out. The man refused to shake my hand twice. What you want me to do, bow before him? He is God?” Ali questioned.
“The Opposition Leader is not God…that is why I reached out, humbly trying to shake his hand and he refused. I tried humbly. Oh my God! If you can’t shake the hands of a humble man, what else you can do?” he questioned.
Let me give you another example of reaching out. I consult with you and you go to the court to stop the consultation.
