CARICOM closely monitoring Guyana’s affairs, prepared to offer assistance if requested

Jul 26, 2019 News

At the convening of their 10th general meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Nations, CARICOM’s Secretary General Ambassador Irwin La Rocque noted that the Secretariat has been closely monitoring Guyana’s current and uneasy affairs following the No-Confidence Motion.

CARICOM’s Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

He stressed, “It does not mean we don’t care; it doesn’t mean we are not concerned… CARICOM does not interfere unless there is a democratic and judicial process breakdown.
“We continue to monitor everything very, very closely… There has been a process that has been ongoing since the vote of no confidence, and we have seen that the process has worked so far in the sense that the CCJ delivered a judgment and its consequential orders,” La Rocque told reporters at the press conference.
The Secretary- General adds that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling in his view was “very, very clear that all of the actors concerned; the Executive, the Opposition and GECOM must play their part.”
Following the CCJ’s ruling which declared that the vote of no confidence against the government passed by the National Assembly was valid, the provisions of Article 106 of the constitution were set off, namely the resignation of the Cabinet and new elections to be held in three months.
“We [CARICOM] are very much engaged,” and he understands there continues to be dialogue between the parties.
He said that he met with both the President and the Leader of the Opposition on more than one occasion following the ruling. He said that he spoke to the President before and after the ruling.
“I am in touch, and will continue to be in touch with the relative parties involved,” the ambassador expressed.
La Rocque further disclosed that he regularly briefs his Chairman, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Allan Chastanet.
In his press conference last week, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo accused CARICOM of being “silent” and called for them to make a public statement on the current affairs in Guyana, but LaRocque pointed out that just before or after that statement there had been a meeting between himself and President Granger.
The Secretary General went on to say that dialogue is continuous and that “we have to allow the dialogue to continue and if things break down then obviously then one needs to take a different position on the situation…
“But for now I think the situation continues. I have spoken to both of them [the president and opposition leader], I have made the offer that CARICOM is prepared to assist if both parties deem it necessary… That is how we operate.”