Dear Editor,
REGARDLESS of your position on an early election, Guyanese must construct a united front against the gross intervention of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. Those of us who welcome the declaration of ABE (America, Britain & Europe) because it is well in our favour, must not allow our bias to blind us from what is truly a coercive intervention on our sovereignty and a blatant attempt to influence the outcome of an internal political conflict.

Consider for a moment if ABE had made a declaration that no elections should be held; that certainly would have angered those of you who now welcome their intervention. For this reason, the nature of their intervention, whether it is for or against elections, should not matter to Guyanese. The general rule must be one of NON-INTERFERENCE, unless the UN Security Council, for security or humanitarian reasons, collectively decides that intervention is necessary. Unfortunately, we know that historically it is not even characteristic of America or Britain to await sanction from the UN Security Council. One simply needs to cast his/her mind back to when Tony Blair (former UK Prime Minister) and George Bush (former U.S. President) invaded Iraq without the permission of the Security Council and have now left that entire region completely destabilised.

More than any other form of intervention, it is imperative that the diplomatic community continues to play an observer’s role to our internal politics. Issuing such a highly political declaration only serves to deepen the divisions in our country and further add to the very uncertainty which they claim is undermining our institutions and affecting the economy. If ABE wishes to comment on matters such as crime, health and security (as they well do), then it is justifiable, because such issues are in the national interest and largely agreed upon as opposed to being partisan or taking a particular side on a divisive matter.

If we allow a foreign power the prerogative to bark orders on our sovereign state by saying that we must “set an election immediately,” then where does it end? We will be dangerously setting the precedent for them to make a declaration of any nature. Neither God nor any sovereign state’s constitution confers such a power on the USA, the EU or the UK. I say to the missions, that the manifest destiny is manifestly fiction. I refuse to allow some foreign power the ability to unilaterally make such declarations and impose on our sovereignty.

It is also important to note that ABE have violated the precious constitutional principle of judicial independence. It appears that they are only willing to respect this principle within their own countries. Judicial independence is the principle that the courts should not be subject to improper influence from other arms of the state or from private or partisan interests; by declaring that the government is unconstitutional ( i.e. sharing a partisan position on an internal political conflict), I fear that the ABE as part of the diplomatic community (a highly respected and influential body) have prejudiced the judges of our high court, who are currently considering a case brought by Anil Nandlall regarding the government’s position(to be heard on September 30th). Whether expressly or through an implicit bias, our judges will now be forced to consider the intervention of ABE in their ruling.

Anil Nandlall taking his case to the court under the rule of law and in a spirit of a constitutional democracy is a prime example of how our institutions remain fully functional. This is contrary to the claim of the ABE that our institutions have been “undermined.” Unlike the United Kingdom who has failed to respect the democratic vote of the people of Britain to deliver Brexit for nearly three years now, our democracy is operational.

Our Parliament is open for business, unlike Westminster, which is currently prorogued with the improper purpose of avoiding parliamentary scrutiny to secure a ‘No Deal’ Brexit without the input of the people’s democratically elected representatives. Granny does always say, “Why watch the speck in yuh fren eye, when you got a log in your own?”
The bottom line is that regardless of whether it is A – B – C or E, they must all learn to respect the sovereignty of a real G.
Yours faithfully,
Othniel Lewis
Citizen of Guyana