PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali is in Kigali, Rwanda to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOMG). The President is being accompanied by First Lady Arya Ali; Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd and the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Elizabeth Harper.

The theme of the meeting, “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming,” is most appropriate and relevant, especially in today’s world which is characterised by high levels of connectivity and where access to information and technology are key elements to drive the transformation process.

Guyana, in particular, is now on the cusp of a modernisation process and the development of linkages with the international community could only enhance the country’s advance to modernisation and transformation.
Guyana will also benefit from other engagements at the meeting, including participation in the Commonwealth Business Forum and an activity on climate change.

The Commonwealth comprises mainly, but not exclusively, nations that were at some point in time colonies of Great Britain. Guyana attained political independence from Britain some 56 years ago, but continue to embrace the shared values of democracy, good governance and respect for human rights.

The hosting of the meeting by Rwanda is not without some measure of controversy, given the country’s past human rights record and what many still consider to be human rights violations, especially as they relate to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

The most recent decision by the Kagame administration to accept asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda as “transit centres” for re-education has also raised eyebrows, especially by human rights groups.
Rwanda had no historical ties with Britain, but was admitted to membership in 2009. Mozambique also was given membership status in 1995, despite not being a former British colony.

Yet, Rwanda is generally considered as a country that has to a considerable degree left its fractured past behind and has now embarked on a process of modernisation. Small and landlocked, with a population of about 13 million people and with support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the country has made significant economic and structural reforms and sustainable economic growth over the past decade.

Politically, the country has made some significant progress in terms of parliamentary and gender equity, with women currently filling some 61 per cent of seats, one of the highest in the African continent and for that matter, the world.

Guyana, like Rwanda, has made solid economic and social gains under the PPP/C administration and efforts are now underway to consolidate democracy and democratic rule, especially in the context of attempts made by the previous APNU+AFC regime, in collaboration with rogue elements from the GECOM Secretariat, to derail the democratic process in the March 2020 General and Regional Elections. Indeed, it took the combined efforts of the local and international community, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, which was part of the Observer Group monitoring the elections before that attempt was foiled.

The Commonwealth Observer Group, it will be recalled, was headed by the late Owen Arthur, former Prime Minister of Barbados, who warned that Guyana could be expelled from the Commonwealth and become a “pariah state” for refusing to play by the democratic rules. Guyana, he said: “Cannot benefit from portraying itself as a pariah state and there are consequences that could ensue. You can get suspended or expelled from the Commonwealth.”

Guyana is much stronger as a member of the Commonwealth and President Ali will no doubt seek to further deepen relations with member states in his quest to encourage investment in the country’s booming oil and gas economy and at the same time seek to market the country’s eco-friendly and tourism potential.

The President is expected to travel to Suriname on his return to participate in the Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit and Exhibition in Paramaribo on June 27-28.

The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will take place on Friday, June 24 and will culminate in a high-level meeting of Heads on Friday and Saturday. The meeting, originally scheduled for June 2020, was postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.