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Pres. Granger gave order to block Carter Center – Foreign Ministry letter
Following a week of shifting narratives regarding responsibility for approval of the Carter Center observer team to monitor the elections recount process, there is now evidence that refusal of that approval came via the Office of the President.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Karen Cummings
In a letter addressed to US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings writing on behalf of the President, explained that the decision to oppose the team’s reentry into Guyana is premised on Government’s measures to protect its citizens from the spread of the COVID -19 disease.
The correspondence dated May 6, 2020 was a direct response to a May 4 letter written to the President by Ambassador Lynch appealing directly to Mr. Granger, after the national COVID- 19 Task Force failed to respond to a previous request.
In the letter, Dr. Cummings explained that while the President agreed that a high-level team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would function within the framework of the Constitution, and under the aegis of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the request for reentry by the international observers does not hold the same weight.
President David Granger
Rather, the Foreign Affairs Minister said that given the prevailing circumstances regarding the COVID-19 disease, Guyana‘s public health situation takes priority.She said, “The public health situation in Guyana has changed drastically since the Regional and General elections held on March 2, as you are aware. The Government published an extraordinary issue of the Official Gazette on 16th March and promulgated COVID -19 emergency measures on 3rd April which included the imposition of curfew and states inter alia.”
Citing the order, Cummings continued, “The Cheddi Jagan International and Eugene F. Correia International Airports shall remain closed to all international flights expect for outgoing flights, cargo flights , medical evacuation flights , technical stops for fuels only and special authorised flights. The Government of Guyana requests that its measures to protect its citizens from the disease are respected.”
Cummings‘ letter contradicts comments made by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Joseph Harmon who claimed that the Carter Center was denied the approval when they informed government ‘last minute’ that observers would be aboard the flight.
Harmon had debunked claims by Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan who told reporters on May 8 that the President is directly responsible for approving the team’s visit.
Head of Carter Centre Mission Jason Carter
According to Harmon, “First of all, when the application was made, the application was made for an aircraft to come and then at the last minute, we were advised that the Carter Center team will be on the aircraft.”
He claimed a request was made by the US Embassy and the Carter Center for a flight on May 4, to transport U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents from Guyana to America.
“The aircraft to pick up people in Guyana, it came with a crew not passengers and the crew had to satisfy our COVID requirements once it arrived here. It was not a matter of picking up people who are here. The plane was chartered to pick US citizens here, which are my understanding. What we said to the Carter Center is that we are in a COVID environment and that we could not basically allow for an aircraft to come here which did not qualify under the conditions for the COVID arrangements.”
He had pointed out that the observer mission can reapply to enter Guyana but their application must “go through the right process.” This position is at odds not only with the definitive position taken in the Foreign Ministry letter, but with the fact that a British Airways flight had been given permission to bring Exxon workers into Guyana less than a week prior.
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