Dear Editor,
US AMBASSADOR Nicole D Theriot raised concerns about a US-sanctioned candidate running for President in Guyana, cautioning it could affect bilateral relations.
Despite criticisms from opposition operatives, she reiterated that the US does not intend to interfere with Guyana’s elections and respects its sovereignty.
“We have absolutely no interest in interfering in your elections. This is a sovereign country. You run your elections as you see fit.”
Election interference in Guyana has a long history, involving mostly local actors. In 2020, for example, some opposition members urged former APNU+AFC President David Granger to annul the election results, and when that did not happen, they, in collusion with top GECOM officials, attempted to hijack the elections during an agonising post-election five-month period.
Had it not been for the American intervention, Guyana would have been under the dictatorship of APNU+AFC. Thus, the US assisted in preserving Guyana’s democracy and sovereignty.
Professor Narayan Persaud asked: “Do Guyanese citizens, both domestically and internationally, recognise the potential consequences of having a sanctioned individual in government?”
He continued, “Are they aware of the effects on diplomacy, international relations, trade and commerce, national security, investments, and representation at UN agencies and international financial institutions?”
If there is such understanding, perspectives regarding foreign intervention may be shaped by pragmatic considerations.
If opposition elements have become so concerned about interference into the country’s internal affairs and sovereignty, why did their parties (APNU and AFC) go to Washington to complain about racial discrimination, extra judicial killings, and corruption allegedly perpetrated by the PPP/C government?
Why were they seeking congressional intervention into Guyana’s internal affairs? Wasn’t that a threat to Guyana’s democracy and sovereignty?
And when APNU opposition members invited a 14-member US legislators’ delegation in 2023 to investigate the alleged racism, discrimination, and human rights violation against Afro-Guyanese, wasn’t that an interference in the country’s internal affairs, especially when they arrived without the blessings of the PPP/C government?
At a 2021 New York rally Minority Congressional Leader Mr. Hakeem Jeffries joined the chorus and called for the firing of former US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah Lynch over perceived pro-government bias. The attempt was unsuccessful.
But wasn’t the spread of false information on racism and discrimination (which is not supported by empirical data) at that Brooklyn rally, an assault on democracy?
Guyana has faced foreign interventions on several occasions, including British and American support in removing Dr. Jagan’s PPP government in 1953, and in1964 with PNC’s backing. More recently, there are allegations that the US intervened in the 2015 elections and called upon GECOM to declare the election results and not to undertake the recount of Region Eight votes which the PPP/C lost by just one vote.
However, Guyana has experienced widespread election rigging at the internal (local) level in 1968, 1973, 1980, and 1986 engineered by the PNC and which destroyed democracy and established a dictatorship.
It was a US based organisation, the Carter Centre that assisted in restoring free and fair elections and democracy in 1992.
History has shown that opposition operatives have wavered on the role of foreign intervention. If a particular act or policy works to their advantage, they would accept it; but if it works to their disadvantage, they will condemn it.
Which country will collaborate with Guyana to protect and defend its democracy and territorial integrity, particularly from Venezuelan aggression? At the internal level, if the US did not intervene in Guyana’s elections’ outcome in 2020, the APNU+AFC coalition might have still been in power through fraud.
And why should the US Ambassador not speak out against a potential threat to democracy by a political party whose leader has been sanctioned for gold and drug smuggling and who allegedly defrauded the gov’t of US$50 million in revenue?
Opposition hypocrisy and double standards hinder democracy and sovereignty in Guyana. Polemics alone cannot resolve issues; instead, a sharp vision and decisive positive action are needed. If an allied nation views Guyana’s interests as being in jeopardy by sanctioned politicians, their silence is questionable.
Sincerely,
Dr Tara Singh