LET’S survey the democratic world to ascertain which prime minister or president has greater democratic credentials, political courage, integrity of character, accommodating leadership style, popular appeal than Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana.

Narendra Modi of India cannot be compared to Dr. Ali. I wrote during the 2014 election in India that I did not like Mr. Modi for suspected anti-Muslin attitude when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. As a practising social scientist, I am convinced deeply in my academic soul that Modi is going to damage the democratic greatness of India.
I will cite two examples and move. Can you imagine that the Guyana Parliament expelling the Opposition Leader because he lost a libel case against the President? The Indian Parliament expelled Opposition Leader, Rahul Gandhi, after he lost a libel writ Mr. Modi brought against him. If you know the reason why Modi sued you will get stitches laughing.

The second example – The Citizen Amendment Act of 2019 grant Indian citizenship to minorities of other countries seeking residency in India before 2014 except Muslims. Google it if you think I am wrong. For a fine analysis of Modi’s drift towards authoritarianism, see the superb study of this trend by Professor Nitasha Kaul published by the Australian Institute of International Relations.

In the UK, two Acts have seriously curtailed the right to picket and protest. The first one is the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court Act of 2022 and the Pubic Order Act 2023. Both Bills have been critically assessed by most of the leading media houses around the world.
The UK Supreme Court recently deemed as illegal the plan to send refugees to Rwanda. The ruling Conservative Party has tabled legislation to get around the decision of the court.

United States President, Joe Biden, went to Israel shortly after Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza killing more than 500 human beings. This is what Biden said to Israel’s President, Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting with the media present about the hospital bombing: “It is not you guys that did it; it is the guys from the other side.” This was before there was not even one expert on the ground to examine the site. The New York Times’ position is the cause of the strike is yet to be determined.

All over the U.S., there is protest against Mr. Biden for his support for Israel’s genocidal conduct. Mr. Biden’s rating is so low that it looks he will be beaten if Trump contest. A poll in Guyana will find Dr. Ali achieving approval rating by over 80 percent.
Are there European leaders that have a greater track record of democratic governance than Dr. Ali? Which one? Name me the European leader whose democratic instincts exceeds Dr. Ali’s? Is it the German Chancellor that flew over to Israel to praise a Prime Minister whose army has been bombing a defenseless population and who has been charged with corruption?

Didn’t the UK, Canadian and Dutch Prime Ministers go the identical route? Didn’t the German Chancellor and French President do the identical act? Are these countries more democratic than Guyana? Italy has a semi-fascist woman Prime Minister.
France is an interesting case-study in democratic hypocrisy. President Emmanuel Macron went to meet Netanyahu. When he went back to France, he suggested a military coalition of countries to confront Hamas. He uttered this nonsense at a time when the helpless women and children were being killed by the thousands.

The EU has its own government called the EU Commission. That body that condemned Russian bombing of hospital and schools in Ukraine has flatly refused to say the same against Israel even though more women and children have been killed in two months by Israel than the first two months of any war in human history.

What is taking place in Canada, the U.S, the UK, Australia and the entire EU, except Ireland, is a dangerous trend that will have disastrous consequences for free speech and democratic tolerance in those countries. Journalists, columnists, academics, entertainment personalities, actors and writers face tremendous acts of vendetta for supporting Palestine or condemning Israel.
Which country in South America has a president whose governance style is more democratic than President Ali’s? President Lula is very popular in Brazil and around the world.

What about Africa and CARICOM?
Which leader, apart from Mia Mottley, can be said to be in front of Dr. Ali in terms of democratic rule? Some of them, of course, were elected and maintain a democratic government but is Guyana behind them? Which one is in front of Guyana? I will have more to say about the superb leadership of a democratic president in the Republic of Guyana.