Democracy: Comparing Norway and Guyana

Aug 03, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

President Jagdeo may have made a huge strategic mistake when he took US$3M from the local treasury to provide Amerindian villages with solar panels. These panels are part of the projects identified for funding from the Norwegian LCDS money. The combined opposition and certain analysts have told the Norwegians that the LCDS grants will be used for election purposes and they pointed to the Amerindian angle.
Now that the panels will be installed at Government’s expense, the Norwegians may wonder why the hurry and very well understand the opposition’s fear. In such a scenario, the money will take even longer to come and the World Bank may wait until after the elections. In any case, one is of the opinion that the Norwegians have already made up their mind about the nature of power under Mr. Jagdeo
Literally millions and millions of people around the world have been reading up on this rich country with a small population since the one-man massacre took place. The conclusion that one finds is that Norway is a deeply democratic polity with extensive freedom and liberties. On reading about it, I found out that the landline and cell phone numbers of the most powerful elites are listed in the telephone directory. A citizen can go on the net and examine the tax payments of eminent citizens. And the most powerful politicians walk around the streets just like everyone else.
When Norway inked the LCDS covenant with Guyana, it may not be an exaggeration to say that it knew very little of Guyana. Norway is not a big player in the Caribbean. On the contrary, it is hardy known in the Caricom region. Guyana is not your average Third World state that makes the news in other territories outside of the West Indies. Guyanese know only too well that their country is hardly identified by the world’s peoples.
Norway must have been delighted that it could show the world how a successful climate pact could work through the generosity of the Norwegian Government. The Guyana presidency was convinced that no politics would emerge because this was a country to country arrangement. But sticky points crept in along the way, sticky for both governments.
As the LCDS programme deepened, Norwegian delegations to Guyana began to learn more about the type of political system Guyana possesses and the behaviour and political culture such as system produces
Meetings with opposition politicians must have been influential because the Norwegians began to speak more and more in less diplomatic terms. The Norwegian PM in a public discussion with President Jagdeo was frank enough to say that Norway has to ensure there are certain safeguards before the finance could be transferred to Georgetown.
The Norwegian ambassador to Guyana was even more candid; she said for the money to pour in, things have to be done in the proper way. Her statement was a gigantic hint that the big players in the Guyana Government failed to see.
She virtually pulled the plug on the fund’s dispensation. It is unlikely that the Norwegians will ignore a report by consultants it hired which lamented official opposition presence in the LCDS framework.
Norway is not short-sighted. It wants to show off this climate deal to the world. If the opposition is ostracized, it may accuse Norway of political bias and if it wins the general elections, it may scuttle the agreement.
What has happened with Norway since it completed its LCDS deal with Guyana is that its high ranking bureaucrats are plugged into Guyana. They are reading intensely about Guyana and they must be doing so against the background of what the opposition and certain independent stakeholders have told them. The latest dimension of the story is President Jagdeo’s livid exclamations that the payments should not be delayed because it is Guyana’ money.
It is doubtful that the Office of the President and by extension the Cabinet will want to curtail some of its undemocratic excesses. This is not in the nature of the PPP. It will go on with its dictatorship. But Norway is watching.
It surely cannot help the cause of Mr. Jagdeo for Norway to be reading daily about one violation after another. So does the Cabinet feel the Norwegians do not know about Channel 6 and the Christopher Ram imbroglio? Does it think they haven’t read about claims of torture against CANU?
Does the Guyana Government honestly believe that Norway doesn’t have serious questions about undemocratic governance? The die is cast. Norwegian money will not come to Mr. Jagdeo before he rides away.

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Democracy: Comparing Norway and Guyana

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