A secret about the CARICOM recount covenant that must be told

Jul 06, 2020 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The revelation below I have never mentioned to any of my friends. Though I speak to Len Gildarie of Kaieteur Radio often and we talk about our roles together on the radio in the analysis of the election saga, I never told him.
There is only one person I transmitted the information to – Leonard Craig of the AFC leadership. I used it in my argument to reject a particularistic comment of his on an aspect of David Granger’s character. I mentioned it in a combative manner to Craig to open his eyes to the failure of Granger as a leader, politician and strategist.
I am a trained historian, so I know that memoirs and autobiographies do not tell all. The writers take secrets to their grave. Biographers who were close to their subjects will not objectively publish negative snippets because of their protective instincts.
Whoever was close to Janet Jagan, Forbes Burnham, Fidel Castro will not offer the readers moments of disturbing details. Castro had a reckless love life while he was fully in charge of Cuba.
Nigel Westmass of the WPA is planning to write a history of the WPA. Westmass can tell you I put the question to him recently in an email as to whether he has the objectivity to undertake such a project because there were very egregiously disturbing dimensions in the collective life of the WPA in the seventies that he may eschew.
David Hinds is supposed to be doing a biography of Eusi Kwayana. I will not pay much heed to such an outlay because David is going to obfuscate serious wrong-doing Kwayana did to Guyana when he was Sydney King.
I come now to Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados. Five CARICOM Prime Ministers came to Guyana to dissolve the vexations. Weeks after they came, three of them made statements that reflect deep chagrin. First, there was Keith Rowley who predicted it will not end nicely. Mottely has been in a frustrating mood since. Ralph Gonsalves has openly displayed his annoyance. All three felt that David Granger betrayed them. Here is why.
We keep assigning the birth of the idea of the recount to Granger. This is not true. Here is what happened. The United States, livid about the rigging, decided for strategic reason, it was best to work through CARICOM.
Since Mottley at the time was CARICOM’s chairman, the US dialogued with her. Mottely knew a precedent was already in existence. CARICOM had sent Ulric Cross to examine the disputed 1997 election in Guyana.
Mottley offered all of Guyana, Guyana’s international partners and Granger himself, a way out. She suggested a Cross repetition of 1997. She urged that Mingo be put aside, and go for a recount that a CARICOM team will participate in. Granger agreed. After the five PMs left with gargantuan smiles on their faces and satisfaction in their minds, Granger reneged.
But Granger is full of himself. With his mediocre thinking, he believes he can fool the world. First, the plotters decided to frustrate the CARICOM team and the contingent left.
Then, the plotters took to the court to stop the recount. What Granger and company were betting on was that the Full Court would rule that the recount was illegal. T
he Full Court knew the law empowers GECOM to act on its own behalf and literally distracted Granger and company by saying that the law prevents CARICOM from supervising the recount.
Rowley was enraged when he heard this because in the dialogue with Granger, there was no mention of CARICOM undertaking the recount. Rowley was livid too because he felt Granger had deceived five CARICOM prime ministers. When Mottley contacted Rowley about the return of the recount mission Rowley would have nothing to do with it.
Rowley felt that the team would have been insulted again. So he advised Trinidad’s chief elections officer not to go back with the group. Two others of the original team said they were not interested in returning for the recount, with one of them complaining about the attitude of Roxanne Myers.
Five CARICOM prime ministers met with Granger, he agreed with their proposal for a recount then he backed down. After he agreed again for the recount and it took place, he rejected CARICOM’s declaration of the vote tabulation.
In my conversation with Craig in which I transmitted the information above, Craig asked me how I know about this. With a mountainous smile on my small face, I asked Craig how he can ask me that. If Craig is reading this, he should ask his leader, David Granger.

(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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