The Gamesmanship must end

Jun 27, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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The Guyanese people are being held to ransom because of the palpable failure of the
Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). This is particularly true in respect to the failure of GECOM’s Secretariat to act with honesty and integrity. The situation is becoming grim. International isolation and sanctions are looming. Worse is likely to follow should the country be subject to political and personal sanctions. These will affect not only the politicians but also the average citizen.

The Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of GECOM is making a mockery of the electoral process and the Caribbean Community. It is no joking matter. His latest report turns the whole Recount exercise into a charade. What was the purpose of having a Recount if the CEO is going to take it upon himself to discard the results of the recount and to create his own numbers of valid votes and to completely invert the assignment of parliamentary seats?

The Caribbean Community, as it has done recently in Haiti, had sought to engage local stakeholders following the impasse which had developed over the Mingo Bingo. Six Prime Ministers – not one – despite their busy schedules, chose to come here in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic to help the country resolve its election crisis.
They left without finding a solution but no sooner had they arrived back home in their respective countries, President David Granger proposed a recount to the Chairperson of the Caribbean Community. It was expressly stated that the decision of the recount was at the instrumentality of President Granger.
An agreement was signed in which President Granger and Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo both agreed to abide by the results of the Recount. A CARICOM Team was designated to come to Guyana to look over the process but when they arrived they were greeted with a court action which placed a halt on the recount.
Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad said that he had a feeling that the situation was not going to end well and the CARICOM Chair, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley had said there were forces which did not want the recount. Despite these reservations, CARICOM- stuck to the agreed process and the recount was commenced. When it was completed, the recount confirmed that the PPPC had won the elections.
Just at the point when the country was supposed to move on, we then had a ridiculous report by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield. His report now places his conduct under further scrutiny and, as some feel, has made his position untenable.
Guyana will face sanctions if there is no resolution – legal or otherwise – to the present crisis. Consequently, the government will be subject to international isolation, including from the Caribbean Community.
There is one view out there that Guyana will not be suspended from CARICOM because there is no democratic clause within the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. There is in fact a Civil Society Charter which forms part of the Revised Treaty of the Community. And the Charter does require the holding of free and fair elections. Guyana can therefore be suspended from CARICOM. Precedent exists for such a suspension. CARICOM suspended Haiti from all the organs of the Community following the overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. The incoming Chairman of CARICOM has made it clear that CARICOM will not tolerate rigged elections. Guyana therefore stands to be banned from the Caribbean Community if the APNU+AFC is declared the winner of the elections.
Should Guyana be suspended from the Caribbean Community, its exports to the Caribbean Community are going to suffer since these would not be eligible for Community treatment such as duty-free entry. This will hurt local producers and impact upon the economy.
The western countries have already threatened serious implications for those who benefit from electoral fraud. Sanctions on government officials are likely to include visa and restrictions and the freezing of assets. The imposition of travel restrictions will mean that persons will not be able to visit their families overseas, go on vacations but more importantly, should it be necessary, seek emergency medical treatment abroad. They will not be allowed to do any financial transaction with foreign banks.
While targeted sanctions are aimed at the political elites, they also affect the average citizen. Since the country’s standing is affected, it means that citizens will find it difficult to get visas since there will be a higher risk of them not returning.
As a result of the increased political risk, investments will dry up. This will mean fewer jobs and less business being done in the country. The oil revenues will not be released and therefore a financial crunch will result.
The ‘Mickey Mouse gamesmanship’ therefore should cease. No country can flaunt itself as Guyana is doing in the face of the international community.
Heavy hammers are going to come down. And it will affect everyone: from the youngest child to the oldest person. There is no way out other than to ensure that the results of the Recount are respected.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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