PRESIDENT CARTER,
A TRUE FRIEND OF GUYANA,
VISITS AGAIN.
By Ralph Ramkarran
It required the renowned stature and nuanced diplomatic skills of President Carter to negotiate the necessary concessions that would guarantee free and fair elections. President Carter’s name will remain forever associated with Guyana’s democracy.
After the 1992 elections the Carter Centre assisted in preparing the National Development Strategy (“NDS&rdquo
in six volumes, which was launched by President Jagan on January 6, 1997.
In 2010 the late Winston Murray, a PNCR leader and MP, attempted to rescue the NDS from oblivion and re-introduce it into the national discourse.
He tabled a motion in the National Assembly for its revision by a Special Select Committee. The Government rejected his argument and amended the motion, which was passed, to refer the NDS to the Ministry of Finance for revision. It was so referred and no one has since heard of it. Having invested a great deal of time and money to get the NDS prepared and accepted, and having seen its abandonment after 2000, may have contributed to President Carter’s negative assessment about Guyana which he expressed in 2004.
In 2004 President Carter visited Guyana for the last time at the invitation of President Jagdeo. He had wide consultations in an effort to resolve the political problems confronting Guyana, as so many have tried to do in the past.
On leaving Guyana, he said: “Instead of achieving this crucial goal of inclusive and shared governance, the Guyanese Government remains divided with a winner-take-all concept that continues to polarize many aspects of the nation’s life…There are only spasmodic meetings between political leaders and publicized agreements between those rare and brief sessions have not been fulfilled.”
He recommended substantive governance and electoral reforms and the formation of an independent civil society forum to lead a structured discussion on a vision of governance for Guyana to promote reconciliation in an ethnically divided landscape.
President Carter’s views found no favour with the government or the PPP and the Carter Centre thereafter disengaged from Guyana.
President Carter would be aware of the deteriorating political realities in Guyana after the 2011 elections.
The loss of the majority by the PPP and the formation of a minority government, which has tried to cling to office for three plus years, have led to gridlock, lack of progress and frustration.
Instead of forming a coalition government which would have aided national unity and result in much progress, the government has steadfastly resisted any such approach and stubbornly held on to the winner-take-all policy, about which President Carter complained.
With this background, it is not known what President Carter expects the outcome of his visit to be. His engagement with Guyana and the investment in time and money that the Carter Centre has made, suggest that his visit could involve a bit more than mere observing of the elections.
It could well be that he recognizes its uncertain outcome and that he wishes to make an input in restraining any negative reactions to the results, whatever they are.
President Carter’s presence can also potentially lead to new political realities, whichever party wins. His message of 2004 is still powerfully resonant today. Hopefully, this true friend of Guyana may still find a way, without interfering, about which he is always careful, to reinforce that message.
Today we have the ludicrous spectacle
of both parties alleging
that the 2011 elections
were rigged against them.
It is time. 