Carter Center reapplies for flight permission to come to Guyana

…diplomatic note dispatched – US envoy
…APNU/AFC does not want international observers – Jagdeo

The Carter Center has reapplied for permission to return to Guyana to observe the national recount, with the backing of the United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, firmly thrusting the ball into the Government of Guyana’s court.
This was revealed during a radio interview with the US Ambassador on Wednesday in another section of the media.

According to the Ambassador, she has had discussions with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and they have agreed that the Carter Center is still an accredited observer since the election process is incomplete.
Moreover, she noted that the gazetted order for the recount reflected the unfinished nature of the elections. According to Ambassador Lynch, there can be no question now that the Carter Center wants to return to Guyana and fulfil its commitments.
“We have gone and requested it again, so there was no question that we were still interested. We are likely today to send out another diplomatic note. At the same time, the Carter Center sent forward their request again,” she said.
“I think that the advisers, they were invited by GECOM, part of US resources to help them get to this point. So, I think GECOM would appreciate the observers and advisers being able to finish their work.”

COVID-19 used as ploy

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo declared the recent refusal of the group entering Guyana under the guise of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was a ploy, and pointed to at least eight international flights that were accommodated by the coalition Government.
Identifying one of the local oil companies, Jagdeo said Government had facilitated the flights to bring in workers from a number of countries including the Philippines.
Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the national recount exercise underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Jagdeo again lamented the Government’s refusal to give permission for three persons from the already accredited observer body to be allowed into the recount exercise.
According to the PPP’s General Secretary, the Carter Center could have been subjected to the same protocols demanded by Government for the other persons landing in the country, including the delegation that was fielded from the Caribbean Community (Caricom).”
He told reporters the move on the part of the Administration “clearly shows that they do not want the presence of the international observers”.
Jagdeo used the opportunity to reassure that his party would continue to press to ensure the international observers were allowed to return to Guyana for the recount process.
Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner Sasenarine Gunraj also lamented the continued refusal of the observers on the grounds of COVID-19 measures.
He noted that the National COVID-19 Task Force on Wednesday refused to meet with the Commission to address the matter of accelerating the pace of the national recount exercise, “because they were dealing with some flight at the airport”.
As such, the GECOM Commissioner surmised there were some categories of persons being allowed into the country and said that begged the question of why there was continued denial or avoidance of the granting of permission to the Carter Center team.
It has already been over two months of controversy, and a credible winner for the March 2 General and Regional Elections is yet to be declared. After two declarations from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo which lacked transparency, Opposition Leader Jagdeo and caretaker President David Granger had agreed to have a recount overseen by the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
That agreement was derailed when A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) candidate Ulita Moore moved to the courts and secured an injunction against the exercise.
That injunction was discharged by the Full Court and later, the Full Court’s decision was upheld by the Appeals Court. But by then, the Caricom team had long since left. GECOM re-invited them, and the recount started last week with the understanding that it would last for 25 days.
The Washington-based Carter Center, which had meanwhile also left Guyana, had confirmed that it had deployed an observer to Miami who was prepared to travel to Georgetown on May 4 to observe the national recount. According to the Center, however, the official was prevented from joining the flight owing to the Guyana Government officials not granting the necessary clearance for travel.
On Monday, a letter surfaced from Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Karen Cummings, written on the President’s behalf and addressed to the US Ambassador, in which Cummings cites Guyana’s decision to close its airspace to commercial traffic owing to COVID-19, as the reason that the Government could not allow the Carter Centre to return.
The Minister said in the letter that the Government of Guyana wished for the US to respect these measures. The letter came only a short while after the COVID-19 Task Force Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joseph Harmon said he had no problem with the Carter Center coming. He had also invited the Center to reapply.