The Carter Centre is back

Feb 13, 2019 Letters

Dear Editor,

The Carter Centre has reportedly met with key officials and members of the Guyana Elections Commission. This is a positive development in terms of breaking the current deadlock between the government and the political opposition regarding GECOM’s readiness to hold General and Regional elections within the stipulated constitutional deadline.
It is an established fact that the Carter Centre played a key role in facilitating democratic elections in Guyana and for that matter in several other countries. In so doing, it has over the decades established itself as a credible broker in getting opposing sides to agree on issues that were otherwise problematic.
It was the Carter Centre that was instrumental in the holding of free and fair elections in October 5, 1992 after nearly three decades of undemocratic rule. Among the several measures agreed upon was counting of votes at the place of poll, a new voter’s list and a new formula for the selection of the Chairman of GECOM, popularly referred to as the Carter-Price Formula.
Regrettably, that formula was jettisoned by President Granger and has now resulted in a loss of confidence by the political opposition in GECOM to act fairly and impartially in the conduct of elections.
The Carter Centre must be commended for the role it is playing in the democratization process in Guyana. In Guyana’s case, it was also instrumental during the early years of the PPP/C administration in the mobilization of development resources, given the battered state of the economy as a consequence of over two decades undemocratic rule and poor governance.
The Carter Centre must be given credit, also, for coming up with fresh proposals on constitutional reforms to allow for inclusive and participatory governance especially in the context of our ethnic diversity.
These proposals are deserving of further examination in our ongoing search for national reconciliation and a governance mechanism that transcends the narrow confines of race and ethnicity.

Hydar Ally

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