Dear Editor,
PRESIDENT Granger, for the sake of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Constitution for which it stands, do not capitulate to outside interference from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and others along with the PPP in their attempts at undermining the Rule of Law. Stand your ground for fealty to the Constitution and the Rule of Law. The Constitution is clear as it relates to who participates in elections, and what the redress is for disputes. Guyana’s Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) are the impartial arbiters of dispute AFTER GECOM, the constitutional body duly empowered to conduct and declare the results of the elections.
History and the understanding of geo-political forces at work is important for all Guyanese to understand what is at stake when there are external forces who parachute in to put their thumb on the scale in favour of their candidate while seeking to subvert the will of the people.
In the United States, it’s codified that presidential elections are held every four years on the second Tuesday in November. On November 7, 2000, a presidential election was held that featured George W. Bush, Republican, and Al Gore, Democrat. That hotly-disputed election was settled more than a month later by the United States Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore on December 13, 2000. As of today, it’s been 19 days since Guyana’s elections.
Democracy and elections at times can be messy, but in nations that are governed by laws and not by men, there is orderly legal redress to peacefully settle disputes. I’ve said that to say that even in America, where the Republic is more than 240 years old, I don’t recall the OAS and other outside observers forcing their way into offices to bully election workers to declare the winner of their choosing. Process is important; Rule of Law is important. The PPP and their international cohorts initially, physically and subsequently through the courts, interfered in the completion of the process as set forth by GECOM and Guyana’s election laws.
It is a documented fact, for the world to see, that the CIA infiltrated Guyana to foment unrest and racial strife between the PPP and PNC; Blacks and Indians in the 1960s. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. In 2020, it’s no longer necessarily State actors who destabilise countries, but it is paid lobbyist; political consultants and organisations such as the OAS. Look at the countries where there are post-elections disputes; these countries are underdeveloped, and are blessed with natural resources that are exploited by multinational companies, and developed countries interfere under the guise of being impartial referees, often doing so because their interest align with corrupt and compromised leaders such as the PPP in Guyana’s case.
With respect to the OAS, in Bolivia in October 2019, they claimed that there were electoral irregularities, and that President Morales must leave. In February 2020, a respected study found that “they greatly misled the media and the public about what happened in Bolivia’s elections.” It is well worth reading and becoming familiar with the article, where the same modus operandi used in Bolivia is now being employed in Guyana. President Morales subsequently left and sought exile in Mexico, where he remains to this day. ( https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/27/oas-has-lot-answer-new-study-disputes-key-claim-paved-way-right-wing-coup-bolivia).
Former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is credited with saying, “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interest.” Guyana was labeled a narco-State under Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP prior to 2015 by the United States and the other ABCE countries. Bharrat Jagdeo has travelled a short distance from being CARICOM’s pariah who presided over ‘Death Squads’ that saw over 400 young black men and the poor disappear, narco-trafficking, money-laundering, corruption, violating constitutional norms by not holding Local Government Elections as well as a litany of other crimes; to now being refashioned into a paragon of decency and democracy by these very same folks. It’s amazing how $34M can rehabilitate one’s image. Guyanese are being played for fools and suckers by Mercury Public Affairs, a company that features prominently in the Muller Report into Russian interference in the United States’ 2016 elections. Bharrat Jagdeo stated that the PPP raised the millions to pay Mercury through fundraisers and donations. You’d have to be a fool to believe that! The “investors”, both foreign and domestic, expect a healthy return on their investment. Guyana is now an oil-rich nation, in addition to being blessed with other natural resources. Follow the money.
In conclusion, it is no secret that President Granger has not been well served by many in his government in general, and the communications shop in particular. There’s an absence of a coherent message and strategy, as well as a communication vacuum APNU created that Jagdeo and his handlers have expertly exploited. Every Thursday, the Opposition Leader has a press conference, in addition to the daily free media coverage that he gets, yet there’s nary a peep out of Mr. Granger, utilising the bully pulpit of the presidency. Have a daily message via NCN, print media, and social media that speaks to the process that must be respected by all. Condemn the incendiary language by irresponsible PPP operatives and Members of Parliament that have led to violence, loss of life and property. Those doing so must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. President Granger, above all, stand your ground for Guyana’s sovereignty and the rule of law.
Sincerely,
Patrick Nicholson
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-23-2020