Jun 18, 2016 Source
Deputy Chief of Mission, Bryan Hunt, has come to the end of his tour to Guyana. His three years are up so in keeping with diplomatic norms, he must move on. But he presided over many things, not least the transition of the government in the wake of the May 2015 elections.He came just as the Drug Enforcement Authority was about to set up office in Guyana. This had been a talking point for a number of years. Ever since the 1980s Guyana was dubbed a major transshipment point for drugs heading to North America and Europe.The view was that Guyana was not doing enough to curb this flow. Guyana, however, said that with its scarce resources and porous borders, it was doing all it could to keep drugs out of Guyana. Then there were those who thought that since the problem was an American problem, then that country should lend resources to Guyana to help fight the scourge.
One got the impression that the then administration was not too keen for the presence of the DEA. It took a long time to decide on funding the home of the DEA. And when it did the location was not considered conducive.Hunt says that with the coming of the DEA there have been increased interdictions. Indeed on Guyana soil there have been increased prosecutions.Yet Hunt sees as his greatest contribution, helping to get the Local Government Elections held after nearly 22 years. His predecessor, Brent Hardt, had advocated those elections but there seemed to be no rush by the then administration. The issue became a campaign promise.
Guyana’s political scene was anything but solid. The country is severely divided and it still is. It is divided along political lines, ethnic lines and even racial lines. Such a divided country can rarely achieve anything worthwhile unless there is serious compromise. Hunt saw these things during his tenure and he is leaving with the situation unchanged except for a new government.
Sadly, compromise was far from being achieved when there were attempts at discussions. The opposition, when it was in the minority, sought concessions from the government and got none. President Bharrat Jagdeo promised Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte that he would do nothing to change the media landscape until there was broadcast legislation. That promise was not worth the paper on which it was endorsed.The trend continued when the opposition achieved the parliamentary majority. Try as he might for compromise, Donald Ramotar got none. The result was his biggest political blunder, proroguing parliament.
The attempts at inclusive government were no less successful. Inclusive government was the parroted slogan that caught public attention but got nowhere. There were other moves at compromise but in each case neither side seemed to be too committed. And the American diplomatic community kept working behind the scenes. Hunt would not talk about the late night interventions, nor would he talk about his frustrations. But he did talk about the divisions.
On Thursday in a candid conversation with Kaieteur News, he said that he is leaving with the complaints of the ills of the People’s Progressive Party ringing in his ears. It is a reflection of the famous Mark Anthony speech in Julius Caesar, “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
He credited the PPP with a lot of good. It transformed the economy from 1992 to 2015; it created strong business, it created macro-economic stability. It presided over the growth of the private sector. But these things would only be recalled when the historians attempt to look at Guyana from afar. At least that is the view of Mr Hunt.
The discoveries by the forensic audits would overshadow the good things and help foster the sharp divisions in the society.Why should every diplomat who leaves echo the mantra of a divided Guyana, a country with so much potential but which will hardly get anywhere, continuing to knock even the best ideas once it does not come from the people mounting the objection?
