The shoe pinches

Jul 04, 2013 Editorial

Within recent times there has not been an opportunity for Guyana to accuse a foreign power, particularly the United States, of meddling in its internal affairs. The most recent objection was voiced when the United States hosted an event to mark its 237th anniversary of its Independence. The venue was the home of the United States Ambassador to Guyana.
The Americans have not been kind in recent times when they addressed some of the shortcomings in Guyana. For example, one of the pet peeves of the United States of America is the issue of trafficking in persons or as they say, human smuggling. Until recently, Guyana has been denying that this scourge had reached its shores; that there was no need to amend the legislation.
This conclusion led to Guyana being penalized by the very Americans. This country was placed on the Tier Two Watch List. Needless to say, the administration raised a hue and cry, but it still rushed to pass human trafficking legislation. Guyana is once more on the Tier Two Watch List, this time because of the apparent inability to prosecute people involved in human trafficking.
At two recent fora the Americans have been talking about this and the Guyana administration has been saying to the Americans that they are no better and that they should not be so quick to be judgemental of others.
Not so long ago, the diplomatic community did not take too kindly to what passes for democracy in this country. They were quite outspoken and critical. Again the Guyana Government reacted in anger. The more bitter reaction by the Guyana Government followed charges by the diplomatic community of corruption. Since then no forum has passed without President Donald Ramotar reminding the Americans, and to a lesser extent the Canadians that they are not without blame.
On Tuesday evening, at a reception hosted by American Ambassador Brent Hardt, President Ramotar made it known that he cherished the friendship Guyana shares with the United States. However, he would prefer that the United States refrains from meddling in Guyana’s internal affairs.
Roll back the clock to the late 1980s and 1990s, right up to 1994. Those were the years that the People’s National Congress was ruling Guyana. That was the period of rigged elections and vocal charges of corruption by the then opposition People’s Progressive Party. That was the period when the party that is now ruling Guyana campaigned extensively for the United States to intervene in the internal affairs of Guyana.
The then opposition political party was certain that its accusations had merit and that the international community should do everything to get the government out of office. There were campaigns that were considered hostile to the interests of Guyana, all led by the People’s Progressive Party. The result was that money destined to the country for development works was halted.
The Essequibo road never got underway until 1994 when it should have started in 1990. The reconstruction of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway never took place because the money for that project was also halted.
Above all, the party in power today besieged former President Jimmy Carter to come to Guyana to force the then government to change electoral policies. In fact, Carter ended up causing a two-year delay in the holding of elections to satisfy the demands of the People’s Progressive Party.
Many things have happened through the intervention of the American Government, but not all these things have been for the good of the country. Corruption reached unprecedented levels, the Jagdeo administration refused to heed agreements brokered by Jimmy Carter and in the end, Carter publicly announced that he would never again come to Guyana.
Nothing has changed since those days. Some people, even those close to the political administration, say that things have got worse. Ralph Ramkarran, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, now says that Guyana is the Kleptocratic Republic of Guyana. Ramkarran resigned from the People’s Progressive Party just under two years ago.
For the government to talk about American meddling is to deny the role it played in encouraging the very action more than two decades ago.

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