Time to consider ending the relationship with USAID

Nov 27, 2013 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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This week’s decision of the government to withdraw from a governance project with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is not at all surprising, considering the allegations that have surrounded USAID within Latin America.
Indeed it is surprising that it took so long for the government of Guyana to recognize the overt and covert political meddling that USAID does in this part of the world. Guyana should have been very circumspect about the activities of USAID, given the fact that earlier this year Bolivia expelled USAID from its country, accusing the organization of seeking to destabilize the government.
Wikileaks has also published cables that have implicated USAID in schemes to undermine governments in Latin America. For example, cables just released suggest that USAID was working hand in glove with the American embassy to undermine the Hugo Chavez administration. And another Wikileaks release has exposed USAID’s funding for a group which is viciously opposed to the Cuban government.
These recent releases come against the background of previous concerns about the operations of USAID. These concerns were so serious that the regional integration movement, the Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for Latin America (ALBA), was forced last year to issue a resolution condemning what it described as open interference in the internal politics of the country under the guise of economic and humanitarian assistance.
ALBA pointed an accusatory finger at USAID for financing non-governmental organizations and projects which are aimed at destabilizing governments. It called on its members to expel USAID representatives from their countries.
Guyana did not heed this advice and instead went ahead with a governance project with USAID. It should have been forewarned that the lexicon of “democracy-building” and support for “good governance” are often used by western organizations to interfere in a country’s internal affairs, in pursuit of the political interests of foreign governments.
Guyana’s decision to pullout of a USAID-sponsored governance project is not seemingly linked to government’s concerns about the political character of USAID’s projects.  The government of Guyana has fallen short of accusing USAID of meddling. Instead, it seems that the government felt insulted that USAID was designing a project without any satisfactory input from the government itself.
But the government of Guyana should have expected such a development and should have insisted on developing its own concept paper for the governance structure, and asking USAID to decide whether it would finance a project intended to give effect to the recommendations in that concept paper.
Unfortunately, because of the absence of proper planning, what happens is that foreign organizations prepare their own concept papers which are then used to develop the project.  These concept papers or studies are usually supposed to reflect the concerns and interests of the host governments, but those familiar with how organizations such as USAID work will know that they usually try to get their way.
A few years ago, the same disrespect and contempt was shown for Guyana when the British were developing a project for the security sector. The government baulked at the proposal, and in the end, abandoned the initiative.
There seems little for Guyana to gain from USAID. If an analysis is done of USAID’s projects in Guyana, it would reveal interesting details as to where the bulk of the financing went. USAID feathers the nests of its consultants, and it is American firms who benefit from the procurement of goods and services.
It is time that Guyana takes a serious look at organizations such as USAID. It is also about time that we refuse to accept assistance from foreign bodies for the improvement of governance structures in Guyana. These organizations have their own agenda and seek to impose these on the Guyanese people.
Guyana needs to move away from the mendicancy and high dependency on foreign grant assistance. It needs to finance the reform of its own structures, because in the end, this will be cheaper and more effective.
The present impasse that has been reached will require diplomatic intervention to resolve. But in resolving this problem, foreign organizations need to be reminded that Guyana has a sovereign government, and that these organizations cannot design projects that do not meet the approval of the government.
Guyana has a right, as other countries in Latin America have done, in deciding that it will not allow such behaviour. It is time to consider ending Guyana’s engagement with USAID.

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