GNCPP expresses concerns over government’s response to LEAD project

May 11, 2014 News

By Zena Henry
The public policy think tank group, the Guyana National Council on Public Policy (GNCPP) has expressed concerns over what it believes could be, “the negative impact that the Political System’s actions, over the United States-assisted Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project, could have on Guyana’s civil society status and empowerment.”
“Under the Constitutional provisions guaranteeing the rights, roles and responsibilities of Guyana’s Civil Society, the GNCPP hereby argues that to deny non-Government and Civil Society Organizations’ access to international assistance in the interest of fostering their own political idealism and party politics is to emphatically trample upon citizens’ rights to use lawful, democratic means to independently assist the political system with respect to the governance of the Guyanese society. Surely this is crass interference and spiteful over-reaching by those whom have been given charge of managing and governing this country,” the organization stated.

GNCPP chairman Dr. Philip H. Mozart Thomas

The fairly new civil grouping posited further that the Articles of the Constitution, which provide specifically for “inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens and their organizations in the management and decision-making processes of the State, must not be overlooked or debased in this issue of such foreign-funded assistance programmes as the LEAD project or other funding from the European Union, Canada and others”.
“Further, for the government to argue that some procedural matters intrude upon Guyana’s sovereignty could be its case to advance the concept of supreme in power or authority or power to govern without external control. To that, the GNCPP would remind the political system that sovereignty belongs to the people. Not exclusively to an Executive or Parliament which, in this case, is charged to collectively represent the well-being of the populace at large. Those representatives and much of Civil Society, as does the GNCPP, welcome most aspects of such projects as the LEAD programme.”
Chairman of the GNCPP Dr. Philip H. Mozart Thomas, while acknowledging the political system’s role in safeguarding their own status in government, in opposition, and in parliament, asserts that their mandate does not include, “the political system’s unconstitutional interference, meddling and overreaching to the extent where their actions affect civil society’s right to accept legitimate assistance from approved sources. Thomas said that never should any administration use its temporary status and agencies for “politicking or revocation”, of documentation of officials in friendly contribution to Guyana’s democratic well-being.
“This $300M (G) Leadership and Democracy project has components to strengthen Parliamentary independence, deepen women’s and youth’s involvement in relevant issues and to promote vitally-needed local government election education. It is therefore frightening to witness the political system’s dogged opposition to assistance that will ultimately benefit the citizenry at large, through their representative organizations,” Thomas suggested.
“The GNCPP welcomes the high ground taken by American Ambassador Brent Hardt in that willingness has been indicated to suspend the project’s activities already generated, in order to accommodate a resumption of dialogue. The public policy body also cautions the political system to consider carefully the repercussions that could be activated if the donor’s principals ever decide to behave in the irrational manner of which it (the government) is currently guilty.”
The contentious USAID-backed Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project was on Thursday put on hold in order to facilitate talks with the Guyana Government with a view of coming up with a mutually agreed position. US Ambassador D. Brent Hardt and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon in joint press briefing had expressed both sides’ concerns and the contentions that led to the miscommunication between the two agencies.
The matter had escalated to the revocation of the LEAD Project Coordinator, Glenn Bradbury’s visa, and an exchange of words between the two sides. The government claims that the project infringes on Guyana’s sovereignty while the US Ambassador in defence said that he was unaware that the project was operating outside of what was decided upon when agreements were made in 2009.
“We always felt comfortable that the programmes we were developing were part of programme activities that had been discussed in our agreement…It never seemed to me that we were operating outside of our traditionally agreed framework.”
The government said it was peeved over the fact that while it was not comfortable with clauses of the project, the Ambassador seemed bent on going ahead with it. Its contention was that the project directly engaged political parties instead of civil society. Talks are ongoing and a way forward on the project is pending.