An open appeal to the US Embassy in Guyana

Nov 26, 2008 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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This writer is one Guyanese who has absolutely no remorse in appealing to friendly foreign governments to look into flawed governance in Guyana. I would like to see a reason advanced for commentators, political parties and civil society actors not doing so. This writer spoke at length to Ambassador Fleming-Jones in the early 1990s about the need for democratic restoration in Guyana. I met him through my friendship with Father Andrew Morrison of the Catholic Church and we chatted on several occasions.
People from the PPP, including a majority of its top leaders, travelled to all the capitals of friendly countries to denounce the rule of Presidents Burnham and Hoyte. Why then, in an age of good governance, can’t those Guyanese concerned about the drift towards elected dictatorship, seek the support of powerful government that give tremendous aid to this country, to press the regime here to be transparent, accountable and behave responsibly?
I had dinner a few years ago with one of the US Embassy’s top diplomats. He was concerned that the Guyana Government was pussyfooting on the establishment of the DEA office here. I asked what will the US if the Guyana Government remains truculent. He said the US will have to use its leverage in the international lending agencies to wrest some responsibility from the establishment here.
One does not have to be an economist to know that this country is virtually (the word “virtual” is being used here in the legal and physical sense) kept alive by foreign money that ultimately comes from countries like the US. Guyana is not a middle power as Mexico, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa etc. Guyana is not even an influential small state in international relations like Israel, Cuba, Singapore, Sri Lanka.
Guyana is not even an internationally recognised small state that the world has an interest in like Jamaica, Malta, the Bahamas. In terms of global importance, Guyana can best be described as an obscure, poor state that depends essentially on international generosity. The reading of any IDB, World Bank, IMF statistics on Guyana would reveal that this country’s economy rests on multilateral and bilateral offers.
Within this context then, a country like the US has literally unlimited scope for putting pressure on the Guyanese authorities to conform to international standards of good governance. When the G7 years ago offered debt relief to eleven countries, then British Chancellor of the Exchequer, now Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said he expected good governance in return.
The evidence of that Guyana has not adhered to the expectations of Gordon Brown is enormous. There is no scope here in this space to document the egregious disrespect for good governance in Guyana since then.
It simply boggles the mind; it simply confuses your psyche; it simply hurts your soul; it simply pieces your heart; to try to comprehend why the US that can confronts big, big countries on human right violations, yet refuses to lecture to a little, poor state that it helps to finance on the terrible corruption and abusive governance that characterise its use of power.
Let us try to imagine what the Guyana Government would say. There can only be one response – “We are a sovereign territory, and you are interfering in our internal affairs.” This is the worn-out, hackneyed rebuff all Third World dictatorships give the world when they are called upon to adhere to the fundamental requirements of democracy.
I have continued to cite the brilliant work of Fareed Zakaria (who is now a CNN presenter – go to the internet to CNN and see his latest interviews on the American financial crisis; it will scare you) who argues that free and fair elections in post-authoritarian countries have not led to the concretization of freedom and justice.
Zakaria posits the theory that free and fair elections have led to the continuation of violations but committed this time by legally elected autocrats. I would appeal to the US Embassy to begin to investigate violations in Guyana and it should call on the Guyana Government to explain.
The new Ambassador has met with the Alliance for Change. No doubt he heard extraordinary tales of bad governance from them. It is hoped that he meets with a wide cross section of the Guyanese society. There is proof to be given to him that there are frightening trends taking place in this society that involves high power holders.
I hope the new Ambassador will bring some Obama rainbow to Guyana. It was outside help that directly led to the return of transparent elections. It is outside help that will save Guyana from the precipice on which it is precariously perched.

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