Jul 24, 2020
Members of the Inter-Religious Organization of Guyana (IRO) and the Guyana Council of Churches (GCC) are calling for all contesting parties of the March 2, General and Regional Elections, as well as Guyanese citizens, to respect the decisions of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Courts.
In a joint statement to the press yesterday, the two organisations noted with great concern the deteriorating political climate in Guyana following the March elections, as well as the negative international attention that the country has attracted due to this. Against this, the religious bodies wrote that it is imperative that the country’s interests be paramount, regardless of political persuasions.
“As religious leaders we firmly stand on the side of morality and good governance” the bodies wrote, while also calling for the respect of rule of law. This, according to them, includes respecting and abiding by the decisions of the elections commission and the respective Courts, as well as its commitments to international solidarity.
The IRO and GCC shared the view that the present political turmoil provides the country with a golden opportunity to dramatically reorder its governance structures for the national good, while emphasizing that if the impasse is not properly rectified then it will continue to be a “cancer in the bones of our beloved nation gnawing away at our national life and progress as a nation.”
As a consequence, the bodies suggested that it may be timely to explore constitutional and other reform initiatives that promote and accelerate unity, inclusivity, objectivity, tolerance and development. The religious group also condemned the character defamation and the actions of racial segregation that have been ongoing, and appealed for peace, reconciliation, trust and stability within the country.
“As a religious community,” the IRO and GCC said, “we encourage a swift conclusion to the electoral process. This will allow us all, as Guyanese, the opportunity to focus on both the immediate threat of COVID-19 and the development needs of Guyana.”