President Irfaan Ali yesterday hailed late US President Jimmy Carter as an “indefatigable champion of democracy”.
Ali said Carter’s passing represents an immense loss, not only to the United States but to the entire free world that values and cherishes the principles of democracy and human rights.
“President Jimmy Carter stood as a central protagonist in the wave of democracy that swept across the world following the end of the Cold War. Acknowledging the vital role of embedding democracy, human rights, and development within the evolving post-Cold War era, the Carter Center, founded by him, diligently laboured to secure free and fair elections, respect for human rights and the promotion of development, across many continents”, Ali said in a statement.
He added that Carter’s legacy is intertwined with the story of Guyana’s journey towards democracy and development.
“Jimmy Carter’s name will forever be linked to the electoral reforms that paved the way for free and fair elections in Guyana, breaking the shackles of nearly a quarter-century of political dictatorship. President Carter also understood that democracy’s return had to be fortified by development. As such, after freedom had been restored in October 1992, he helped to support the crafting of a National Development Strategy for Guyana and to mobilize resources for reconstruction”, Ali added.
He said that Guyana will forever remember and be grateful to President Carter for the election observer missions the Carter Center undertook in Guyana, adding that the missions acted as a watchdog of transparency, fairness, and credibility in the electoral process.