…Sir Shridath urges
AS the national recount of votes cast at the March2, 2020 elections comes to a close, revered Guyanese Diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal, has urged citizens not to allow the country to slip into chaos.
“As Guyana nears the tipping point of its ‘elections crisis’ I plead with all my fellow Guyanese not to allow our motherland to descend into the darkness of denial of the rule of law and regularity,” Sir Shridath said in a terse statement on Saturday. He added: “As Guyanese, we owe it to ourselves, to the Caribbean Community, which we have helped to bring to life, and to the wider global community whose respect we have earned as an enlightened democratic State, not to debase ourselves by descent into the pit of lawlessness.”
He noted that in a matter of weeks, Guyana shall be appearing before the International Court of Justice at the worthy instance of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to appeal for global justice under international law against menace to our national patrimony. “Almost three-quarters of Guyana – of land and sea – is under threat. We must protect it with clean and united hands. Let lawfulness prevail in our country; unless it does, all of Guyana – and all its people – are imperilled!” Sir Shridath encouraged.
Back in March when the Caricom recount team was forced to retreat after the court granted an injunction against the process, Sir Shridath had said in a statement that, “in the darkness of disagreement, CARICOM’s helpful intervention in trying to resolve the general elections process at the request of both president Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, was a ray of light. All of Guyana should have welcomed it, as most Guyanese did. It is a wholly legitimate role of community that must not be smothered under any pretext whatever.”
He added: “It is utterly regrettable that, despite the highest-level agreement between the political leaders of Guyana and five CARICOM heads of government acting for the Community, the invited CARICOM team to oversee the recount of the votes, has had to withdraw. Guyana is being deprived of regional and international approval and the opportunity for global respect at a time when it matters most. CARICOM has not closed the door to proving the preciousness of its familial ties with Guyana; it can still play the role Guyana’s two political leaders agreed it should. What is required now is for all to place the interest of the nation above other narrow considerations that could mar the country’s prospects; and retard the strides that the people of Guyana have made collectively. I urge that peace and progress be pursued lawfully and transparently.”
In the run up to the elections, Sir Shridath again had urged citizens to remain peaceful– warning that nothing should be done to hinder the country’s progress as it gets ready to defend its territory before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The closing days of a national elections and the days after it when it pronounces its democratic decision, those days are fractious ones in any democracy and Guyana is not immune from this, but we do have a greater need than usual to demonstrate to the world that our national motto [One People, One Nation, One Destiny] does describe us…The proceedings on the 23rd of March at The Hague will be about that destiny. It is my plea to all fellow Guyanese that between now and then, we do nothing to impair that destiny,” Sir Shridath implored. Sir Shridath said that “the eyes and the ears of the global community will be upon us in a few weeks-time” as the country defends its position that the Arbitral Award of 1899 remains intact.
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020