The Americans will finally investigate elected dictatorship in Guyana

Feb 28, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Arguably the finest moment in international solidarity to bring democracy and good governance to Guyana since the rigged 1968 elections, occurred on Thursday, February 25 in Washington, D.C.
On that day, a Guyanese delegation of five persons (all Guyanese living as permanent residents of the US) met with one of the most powerful members of the Barack Obama Cabinet to discuss dictatorship in Guyana.
In the history of the post-Independence struggle for democracy, good governance and constitutional freedoms (as adumbrated by Dr. Fareed Zakaria in his outline on elected dictatorship), beginning with the rule of Burnham from 1968 to Mr. Jagdeo’s tenure, this is the first time a Cabinet member of the US Government offered an audition to a delegation asking for American intervention to stop authoritarian government in this country.
The fact that the contents of this meeting was passed on to me, it means that the PNC, AFC, WPA and perhaps the GHRA have to know of this historic day last Thursday. It also means that the US Embassy would have been aware of the dialogue before it took place.
The most curious thing on readers’ minds is how this meeting was arranged in the first place. The answer is simple if you know your country. Guyanese are everywhere on Planet Earth. Go to Italy, Greenland, Iceland, San Marino, Syria, Lebanon, Chile, Burkina Faso, Myanmar and you will find a Guyanese in a position of influence. Guyanese are in positions of influence in perhaps all countries in the world.
The conference between this particular American Secretary and the delegation was made possible through a Guyanese who was a tireless campaigner for the Democratic Party.
Here now is the best news Guyanese have heard in decades. Everything was put on the table. The American Secretary knew all that has been going on here. Anti-African racism was of utmost concern to this particular person. Some strong pronouncements were made on the Guyana Government including a statement by the Secretary that the Guyana Government is not doing enough to stem drug trafficking from this country.
Here is the dramatic part. The American Government is studying information on criminal activities involving members of the Government given to it by David Clarke. It would appear that Clarke has said some hair-raising things to American officials. The Secretary promised the group a change in US foreign policy on Guyana. This fantastic meeting was rescheduled from last November and in three months’ time, there will be another.
So where do we go from here? From here, means, Guyana. The opposition parties and concerned civil society groups have a chance to press for the removal of the Guyana Government through the call for indictments against senior members of the PPP regime. The Americans should be asked to issue these indictments and facilitate an interim administration. What came out of that meeting in Washington D.C. should be built upon, and it should start immediately. For all the agitation against elected dictatorship, particularly since 2006, that have not brought any optimism, this could be the catalyst all Guyanese have wished for, have dreamt about – the intervention by the American Government to stop the diabolical and abominable descent into immoral, criminal and racist, corrupt behaviour by the worst regime the English-speaking Caribbean has seen It should start with the opposition doing its homework. It should now compile a dossier on bad governance in totality and ask the US Embassy to forward such information to the Secretary.
At that meeting with the US Embassy, the opposition should ask for visa revocation against those regime officials for which there is evidence of serious immoralities, be it sexual scandal, corruption or abuse of power (e.g., complicity in torture). From thereon, a combined association of opposition parties and civil rights groups should take to the region and solicit Caricom’s intervention against racism in the administration of the affairs of the Guyanese State.
The American Government, as represented by that particular Secretary, has acknowledged that there is serious, intensive and extensive racial discrimination against African-Guyanese, it is up to the Guyana opposition to bring that to the attention of Caricom leaders.
I will close without naming who is the Secretary that met with the small group of Guyanese last Thursday. I chose to avoid the disclosure because as I wrote a few months back on this very meeting when it was rescheduled, I am not going to provide the Guyana Government with information. That is not my job. I do believe the Guyanese opposition organizations know about last Thursday. So why should I inform the Government about matters which are none of its business.

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