Democracy must at all times be the basis for governance

Jan 10, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

The recent attempt in neighboring Brazil to storm the presidential palace and other government buildings mere days after the historic inauguration of President Lula da Silva bears some striking resemblance to what took place at Capitol Hill two years ago in the United States of America.

This is indeed a worrying development. It speaks to the fragility of democracy in some of the more advanced countries in the world. Actions such as these have no place in the civilized societies and can only serve to undermine constitutional democracy and the rule of law.

Fortunately, the actions, supposedly by far-right elements loyal to former President Jair Bolsonaro, have been thwarted but they do set a dangerous precedent of ignoring the will of the majority and trying to obtain power by illegal and unconstitutional means. In Guyana, a similar attempt was made by the political opposition to obtain power by way of subversion of the democratic process during the March 2020 General and Regional elections.

The situation in Latin America, and for that matter the Americas as a whole, is cause for concern. Only recently the President of Peru was removed from power in what can be regarded as a ‘constitutional coup’ which has resulted in protest actions by supporters of the ousted President. A similar situation took place in Bolivia a few years ago when Evo Morales was removed from power before the end of his term in office. Democracy must at all times be the basis for governance. Any departure from such norms is fraught with all manner of danger and must be condemned by all those who cherish the ideals of democracy and constitutional governance.

Regards,

Hydar Ally