An open letter to the visiting US Congressmen

Aug 23, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I welcome you to Guyana on behalf of all Guyanese who fought to bring free and fair elections to my country.
Their heroic and united struggle culminated in the dawn of a new era in 1992 when the PPP/C defeated the PNC, who misruled our country for more than three decades.
We are deeply grateful to your colleagues, both Republican and Democratic Congressmen and Senators who, in the run-up to the ‘92 elections, gave their full support to the Guyanese people’s long struggle for a return to democracy and good governance in our country.
Our country, is on the cusp of what could possibly be its second economic revolution after centuries of dominance by king sugar, which was introduced by the British in the colonial period but which industry is now practically dead in the water as a result of the maladministration of the governing APNU+AFC.
Thousands of sugar workers have been thrown onto the breadline.
In my country, the ruling elite, soon after its assumption to office in May 2015, began to trample on our Constitution.
Ministers of government consistently seek to direct and/or interfere in the work of constitutional bodies, the military and the law enforcement agencies.
Appointments to Constitutional bodies are violated in the breach.
A most recent case was the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission without due regard to the bipartisan agreed Carter Center formula which was constitutionalized.
This matter is currently before the court. A ruling is due shortly.
The ruling Coalition Government has replaced many qualified civilian professionals in state and government entities with military personnel.
In light of these unwelcome developments, the Guyanese people are fearful that the governing Coalition is preparing the ground for fraudulent elections to maintain themselves in offices contrary to the will of the majority of the electorate.
Local government elections will take place in our country before the end of the year.
Your arrival in our country will coincide with advanced preparations for, and possibly, the beginning of the campaigns by the respective contesting political parties.
Already, there are allegations of the illegal gerrymandering of the boundaries of Local Authority Areas to either narrow the margin of losses by the ruling APNU or to give the ruling party an outright majority at the conclusion of those elections.
Serious disagreements have surfaced between the Coalition partners resulting in them going separately to the elections.
How the partnership will face the next general elections is an internal one to them.
The perpetuation of fraud during the imminent Local Government Elections may very well be a dress rehearsal for the coming General and Regional Elections Constitutionally due in 2020.
The fear of rigged elections real or imagined, and the concomitant political instability in the country that can jeopardize U. S. foreign investments in my country are factors your delegation should take into consideration in preparation for your conversations with the President of Guyana.
It is in the context of this backdrop that the Guyanese oil and gas industries are high on the national agenda. I have no doubt that this matter is equally high on your agenda for your meetings with a wide range of Guyanese stakeholders.
By now, members of your delegation would have been briefed to the effect that there is much debate among stakeholders in our country on this matter.
The key question attracting the attention of the overwhelming majority of Guyanese is whether our people will benefit in any significant way from the revenues that will flow from the production oil and gas.
Doubts created by a hostile media, as well as by number of critics, cynics and pessimists have not helped alleviate these concerns. Nor has ExxonMobil, the principal investor in the sector whose public relations as a good corporate citizen has been most unhelpful, if not lacking to say the least.
In the meanwhile, President Granger has publicly proposed that government and opposition enter into talks about the environment, oil and gas and security.
Thus far, the parliamentary opposition has limited its response stating that the matter is to be discussed by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party.
I have to assume, that the three areas proposed by President Granger
coincide with the interests of ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil investment interests no doubt coincide with the interests of the United States insofar as its overseas investors are concerned.
In this regard, the security of ExxonMobil’s infrastructure, property and personnel would be of critical importance to all the parties concerned especially in the context of the advisories issued by the US authorities with respect to the public safety and security situation obtaining in our country.
Your visit therefore comes at a very important juncture of our country’s socio-political and economic development.
It is necessary during your visit that you meet not only with government and the political Opposition but with non-governmental organizations, trade unions, the business community and with as many representatives of civil society and as possible not excluding the media.
It is my hope that your esteemed delegation will not be assuaged by government propaganda nor its assurances. Especially in light of the reality that my country is currently gripped by economic malaise, financial and administrative incompetence, corruption from top to bottom, victimization, and racial and political discrimination.
More importantly, the Guyanese people expect that in the course of your conversations with President Granger and his Ministers that you will emphasize the importance you attach to free and fair elections and your disdain for fraudulent electoral practices from beginning to
end.
An independent Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission and its machinery; a clean, credible and verifiable voters list; counting of votes at the place of poll; no overseas voting save for home-based staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; no postal voting nor abuse of proxy voting and accreditation of overseas and local observers are the critical elements that would ensure free and fair elections in Guyana.
I wish your esteemed delegation a successful stay in our beautiful country and I sincerely hope your delegation would enjoy our Guyanese hospitality.
Yours sincerely ,
Clement J. Rohee

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