Dear Editor,
You are commended for the editorial “Jimmy Carter” (SN Oct 2). Using cricket metaphor, we celebrate and cheer a century; it is quite an achievement. Living for a century is a great achievement, and locally we cheer those who reach the milestone. And the former American President is deserving of the highest praises and accolades not only for attaining a century but for his domestic and international policy.
The editorial extolled some of his achievements; some others need mention. In the US, his cabinet set the trend or precedent for racial inclusivity; Blacks and other minorities had a greater presence in his administration and began to be treated with some measure of respect in a historically racist society that was moving away from ‘Jim Crowism’ and ‘Klu Klux Klanism’. Human rights and democracy can be included in the Carter Doctrine; the first Black American to serve as US Ambassador at the UN, Andrew Young, was his appointee. There was also recognition of and closer relations with China, the Panama Canal Treaties, the Camp David Accords, independence of (Rhodesia) Zimbabwe, and pressure on apartheid South Africa to respect human rights. As you noted, some of his greatest achievements were in his post-Presidency, as head of the Carter Center that he and his wife founded, in which he helped to restore democracy in several Latin, African, and Caribbean countries, including our own Guyana.
While you mentioned the former President’s role in the 1992 and 2015 elections, it was like “in passing”. You did not discuss the importance and significance of his intervention especially for the 1992 election and his presence days before and after that election. This is a serious oversight that needs some details. The younger generation needs to know and those from that era need to be reminded of this very important history. Without Carter’s role (and his wife Roslyn who was also at his side for all events and policies), Guyana may well have remained at a minimum a one party state with some semblance of democracy or even an authoritarian state as it was from 1966 till the restoration of democratic governance in October 1992.
Carter (and a few occasions with his wife) visited Guyana multiple times with the first visit in 1991 setting the stage for the return of free and fair elections after the last one being in colonial Guyana in December 1964. Several Guyanese in USA lobbied the Bush presidency and prior to him the Reagan and Carter presidencies to pressure the Burnham and Hoyte dictatorships to end human rights abuses and restore democratic governance. An Asian American fundraiser, coordinated by Yashpaul Soi (a Columbia Univ educated NYC Chief Engineer, no stranger to Guyanese New Yorkers), was held in Manhattan for Carter’s re-election in 1980; a few Indian Guyanese were in attendance. His wife Roslyn was the Chief Guest as the President had to campaign elsewhere. Several thousand dollars were raised for his re-election to which the President communicated his gratitude. Yashpaul and a few Guyanese (including late Hassan Rahman, Baytoram Ramharack, me and others) would use that connection to help set up an appointment for Cheddi Jagan to meet with the Carter Center in July 1989. Carter expressed concerns about fraudulent elections in Guyana and would become deeply involved in and supportive of the diaspora struggle (in America) for FFE in Guyana. Guyanese groups in USA persisted with their lobbying of the Bush administration and Congress.
It was reported that President Bush and President Gorbachev reached an agreement in which they would use their influence in Guyana and Nicaragua respectively to have both nations hold free and fair elections. Bush warned of consequences if democracy was not restored in Guyana including the holding of FFE. Members of Congress, including Ted Kennedy, brother JFK who toppled Cheddi Jagan from office, also demanded FFE in Guyana. It was never publicly reported what role Gorbachev played in FFE in Nicaragua; communists never announce certain policies especially on matters pertaining to democracy. Carter was assigned the role of negotiator and arbitrator for free and fair elections in Guyana. Carter Center was involved in a variety of activities, including: training and support to GECOM as well as to civil society organizations to monitor elections and government performance. Eventually, Carter also became ‘Chief Observer’ and ‘Chief Guarantor’ of FFE in both Nicaragua and Guyana and other states as well that were emerging out of authoritarian rule. And indeed both nations held relatively free and fair elections.
Since then, the Carter Center, the President himself, engaged leaders of Guyana to have inclusive government and constitutional reform in which no party or race dominated government. The President’s recommendations, while praised by all parties, have been largely ignored by the two dominant political forces. Fortunately, the Carter formula still holds at GECOM in the appointment of the Chair who casts the tie-breaking vote (of 3-3); in fact, it was the Carter’s formula that helped to deter planned fraud in the 2020 elections. The CCJ ruled unanimously that the President’s appointment of a Chair must come from among the nominees proposed by the Opposition Leader – that was the Carter’s formula. The political leaders need to examine other recommendations of Carter to promote peace, stability, and greater inclusive democracy.
In both Nicaragua and Guyan, the incumbents were resistant to yielding power after defeats at the ballot box. Carter intervened in what was the first transition to a democratic transfer of power for both countries after a long period of dictatorial rule. Daniel Ortega eventually accepted defeat to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, wife of a newspaper publisher who was assassinated because of his advocacy of democracy.
In Guyana, Carter’s life was threatened by mobs on election night and the day after. One then prominent government official at the time was heard loudly telling a mob pelting projectiles at GECOM’s headquarter, “We ain’t listening to any White man about our election”. Carter warned of consequences if he was harmed; back channel serious threats were issued from Washington. Hoyte agreed to accept defeat. Hoyte sent the army to disperse the mob that burnt buildings, looted stores, and beat up a lot of people. The official, himself, had to seek shelter or face the consequences announced by Hoyte. Carter is credited for brokering an agreement that ushered in a transition of power to Cheddi Jagan and restoration of full democratic governance (with some aspects of high-handed governance from both sides) that stands till this day. Without Carter’s intervention, would democracy have been restored in Guyana and or protected in 2019/20?
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram