GMSA honours ABCE diplomats for preservation of Guyana’s democracy

The ABCE diplomatic missions in Guyana – United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union (EU) – were on Wednesday recognised and honoured for their role in ensuring the preservation of Guyana’s democracy following the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, when the country was embroiled in a prolonged impasse for five months.
This recognition came from the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) at its 25th Annual Awards Ceremony held at State House.
US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, former British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, outgoing Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee, and EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz Canto received awards “in recognition of [their] sterling contribution towards the preservation of democracy and democratic principles in Guyana.”
The four envoys were vocal in their calls for democracy to prevail in Guyana, and for the will of the Guyanese people to be respected after the APNU/AFC Coalition refused to concede defeat at the March 2 polls and demit office.

In fact, even after a national recount confirmed the People’s Progressive Party/Civic electoral victory, the David Granger-led Coalition continued with its delaying tactics by moving to the courts.
The Western diplomats had deemed the tabulation process for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) – Guyana’s largest voting district – as lacking transparency and credibility. This was after attempts were made by embattled Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, along with others, to inflate the votes in favour of the then Coalition administration.
As the electoral impasse continued months after the March polls, the ABCE diplomatic community continued mounting pressure on the APNU/AFC to concede defeat, warning of Guyana facing isolation and consequences.
In fact, the United State had gone ahead to impose visa sanctions against several Government and electoral officials and their immediate family members for their role in undermining democracy in Guyana. The UK, Canada, as well as the EU had also indicated that they were also considering doing likewise.
However, this advocacy by ABCE envoys had resulted in attacks against them by the former Government and Coalition supporters.
Meanwhile, at Wednesday’s Awards Ceremony, GMSA President Shyam Nokta described the electoral process as a “nightmare” and lauded the efforts of the ABCE envoys.

“I wish to also put on record the GMSA’s appreciation to the representatives of the ABC&E countries: Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, High Commissioner Greg Quinn, High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee and Ambassador Fernando Canto, for the unwavering stand you took to ensure democracy prevailed in Guyana. Thank you,” he declared.
Nokta also recognised the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the wider Private Sector for the collective stance they also took during that period.
“What was expected to be a relatively smooth process turned out to be a nightmare for the country, as it took five months for the winner to be declared and a new Government to take office. Those five months were difficult. The Private Sector collectively joined efforts with civil society, other local organisations and groups and the international community to ensure democracy prevailed,” he posited.
According to the GMSA President, 2020 will be remembered as a year of challenges, but also as a year when Guyanese withstood these challenges.
He noted that the elections aftermath was further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic – both of which had a major impact on Guyana’s economy. However, Nokta said that despite facing many challenges, the manufacturing sector still ensured that demand was filled during that period for food production and medical supplies.
On that note, he also recognised those manufacturers who stepped up to fight COVID-19 by producing sanitation items, while many contributed to various hamper drives to ensure the Private Sector played its part in the national response.
As a matter of fact, some of those companies, such as Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and Sterling Products Limited (SPL), were among Wednesday’s awards receipts for contributions made towards COVID mitigating measures.
Nokta went on to disclose that the GMSA had undertaken an Impacts Survey back in June to understand the impact of the pandemic on its membership, which grew this year to 160 with 17 new members.
“The findings revealed that large numbers of businesses had to close operations and the worst affected were small-medium enterprises. From the feedback, access to and affordable finance was one of the main measures identified for recovery of businesses, along with tax relief measures and more uptake in the domestic market for locally produced goods and services,” he posited.
But the GMSA President noted that the $329.5 billion Emergency Budget that was presented by the new Government paved the way for opening up the economy and restoring economic activity. He highlighted the menu of measures that have direct bearing on the sectors within the GMSA, such as the removal of value-added tax (VAT) on electricity and water, exports, machinery and equipment, especially in the forestry, mining and agriculture sectors; on building and construction materials, and on fertilisers, agrochemicals, pesticides and key inputs in the poultry industry; and the zero rating of the poultry industry.
“These measures provided a much-needed impetus to restore investor confidence and (were) a clear demonstration of Government’s commitment to restore economic activities in the shortest possible time,” the GMSA President posited.