Recently, the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, floated the idea of the United Nations (UN) taking over the running of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). In response, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo was reported as saying, “Guyana boasts of a parliamentary democracy and the Opposition is trying to portray that this country is under some military or totalitarian rule”. He added that Jagdeo’s idea is an insult to Guyana.
It would be useful if the Honourable Prime Minister can consider what led to Mr Jagdeo’s position. Clearly, for a former Executive President to suggest such a move, his thoughts had to be premised on something related. History would show that such calls for international help on elections were made in the past, with success.
The Carter formula that guides the composition of GECOM Commissioners, which has been adhered to for more than two and a half decades, was birthed from international intervention led by former President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter, though the Carter Center. It was realised from repeated calls by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for international electoral intervention in the run-up to the 1992 elections.
With a reported history of rigging elections, the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Government seemed on a relentless path for a repeat in 1992. The inability, deliberately or not, to prepare an acceptable voters’ list is well documented, and led to the pushing back of elections’ dates. As a matter of fact, the 1985 elections were held two years after they were constitutionally due.
That extended period was consumed with deriving an acceptable voters’ list, which was possible only after the intervention of the Carter Center. Vociferous among the voices for international intervention was Mr Nagamootoo, who that time was one of the prominent leaders of the PPP. Of serious concern over the real fear of rigging the elections, expected in 1990, was the role of the military, which in the past was accused of intimidation and removing ballot boxes on elections night.
Many stories alleged to this practice, which reportedly helped to deliver victories for the PNC. The results of the 1985 elections are reported to be the biggest rigging in the country’s history. Calls by the then Opposition, the PPP, for international intervention not only continued, but naturally intensified as the 1990-92 elections approached.
Of recent, the Carter formula for selecting the Chairman of GECOM was ignored by the President, who appointed someone of his choice. This resulted in uneasiness and suspicion among the Opposition and civil society. The appointment was challenged in court. The appointment of the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) has also created controversy, as the candidate who held the position for three years and who reportedly scored the highest during the interview process was overlooked for someone who is allegedly the choice of the Chairman.
In addition, the minister responsible for Local Government and Regional Development issued an order for the creation of new Local Authority Areas (LAA) and for the consolidation of constituencies within some for the upcoming November 12 Local Government Elections (LGE).
The Opposition branded it a blatant act of gerrymandering, and one devoid of the requisite consultation; designed only to give the coalition Government an unfair advantage. This has also been challenged in court. Also, a reform of GECOM, which could see a departure from the agreed Carter formula, was recently mooted by the President.
With these in mind, Mr Jagdeo, the PPP and it supporters can speak of a lack of confidence in the current election machinery. The appointments of a number of former military personnel to senior positions in what is basically a PNC-led Government have also raised eyebrows. While generally there could be nothing sinister, it’s difficult for many not to make a nexus with the military and the PNC, given what has been reported in the past regarding rigged elections.
This holistically is the context which the Honourable Prime Minister should have taken into consideration. In the period of the 1992 elections, international intervention was not an insult to Guyana; it helped to free those who were oppressed by totalitarian rule, and returned democracy after an absence of almost three decades.
Since the change of Government in 2015, the PPP has highlighted many instances of the absence of parliamentary democracy. Given those scenarios and current concerns, including militarisation of the Government, the call for international intervention on Guyana’s election not only has precedent, but is one that the PPP and sections of civil society find relevant to safeguarding democracy here.
What must be paramount to all are the fairness, transparency and credibility of Guyana’s elections. If international intervention will help to uphold these basic democratic principles, then it cannot be seen as an insult, and should be welcomed. None is more au fait with such relevance as the Honourable Prime Minister, who advocated for such against the PNC in the past.
