“Too much at stake” for Guyana’s electoral process to lack transparency – Caricom Chair

Caribbean Community (Caricom) Chairperson, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has strongly positioned that there was “too much’ at stake” for Guyana, should the electoral process lack transparency.

Mottley led a team of Caribbean Heads of Government including Prime Ministers of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit; Grenada, Keith Mitchell; St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley on Thursday to Guyana. The team, along with Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, met with President David Granger, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and candidates of the small political parties that contested the March 2 General and Regional Elections separately during the two-day visit.
At a press conference on Thursday hosted at the Caricom Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Mottley spoke of the country’s potential economic turnaround in light of its newfound oil wealth and as such, the contention was raised that too much was at risk if transparency was absent in the elections.
“This country is on the cusp of turning the corner economically, but it must also be on the cusp of making every Guyanese a winner and not a loser. Our fear is that if the process is not transparent, that we put at risk too much and therefore, hope that the people of Guyana will work together to ensure that there is calm, there is peace,” the Chair asserted.
The team of regional leaders arrived in Guyana on Wednesday morning at the Eugene F Correia International Airport. A meeting was facilitated with Opposition Leader Jagdeo and President Granger as well as smaller parties contesting the 2020 polls. Together, the Member States have pledged to continue engagements in a bid to foster fair elections since the appointment of a new President is minute compared to the other vulnerabilities which could face the nation.
“We, the leaders of the Caribbean Community, are committed to working with the people of Guyana for a free and fair process and transparent process. And we made it clear, because there is simply too much at stake for the people of Guyana.   Georgetown is the home, the seat of the Caribbean Community. Guyana is a founding member of the Caribbean Community and against that background, we are clear that as a community of sovereign nations, we cannot get involved in the internal processes…There is no doubt in our minds that there is at stake far more than who will be the president of Guyana.  What is at stake is also the lives and the stability of the people of Guyana.”
Mottley said this challenge which befell the nation was never anticipated in this modern time. However, both major players – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) have committed to abiding by the country’s laws.
“We find ourselves today, as we speak, in a world that is exceedingly uncertain, that is being challenged in a way that we never contemplated that the third decade of the 21st Century would be challenged in this way….And it is against that background that we have appealed to both sides. Both sides committed to the fact that they want to be able to abide by the laws of Guyana and the Constitution of Guyana. They have also committed that they believe that there ought to be a free and fair transparent process,” she informed.

She spared time to reflect on the ruling of acting Chief Justice Roxane George on Wednesday which clearly states that Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo’s previous declaration of unverified results was unlawful.
As such, Mottley contended that any actions to stall or deviate from the verification of the District Four data would clash with the ruling.
The Barbadian Prime Minister asserted, “Even though the statute puts power in the hands of the Returning Officer, that that Returning Officer will understand that he holds in his hands the future and stability of Guyana as we go forward…Her ruling was absolutely clear that she expects the Returning Officer to either start anew or complete the process with respect to the SoPs [Statements of Poll]. Any attempt to be able to stall the process or any attempt to be able to obfuscate the process is one that runs against the spirit of the Chief Justice’s judgment.”
Until the verified results are released, Caricom has asked Guyanese to remain calm and allow the process to take its course.
“This is not a single event. This is a process, and we are cognisant that this process didn’t get here overnight and it is not necessarily going to be miraculously achieved and changed overnight. But at this point, the most important thing, even as we fight this COVID-19 virus,  is for the people of Guyana to remain calm, to remain patient,  and to allow us to help both sides and their supporters understand that it is only through a transparent and open process that we can go forward,” Mottley underscored.