…“the US is certainly watching this unfolds; we are watching it carefully” – Ambassador
United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, says her country stands by its word when it comes to threats of sanctions against individuals here who benefit from electoral fraud. sending a stark warning to domestic leaders, she said, “You don’t just get to call yourself a democracy.”
The diplomat sounded the warning on Thursday during an interview with Newsroom’s Neil Marks, and was asked to pronounce on that country making good on its threats if the current electoral impasse in Guyana is not resolved through a credible process.
She used the occasion to caution, “When an unresolved election meets a global pandemic, this equals a problem set that not a lot of nations are dealing with; so Guyana has a lot of critical decisions to make here.”
Referring to the neighbouring migrant crisis in Venezuela, the US diplomat also noted the border controversy with Guyana, which is compounded by the fact that Guyana needs to begin addressing its economy. She said, “The answer to all of these things is leadership.”
According to the ambassador, “This is really why this election needs to be resolved soon, so Guyana can get back to the point where it has good leadership…exhibiting this leadership both regionally and locally.”
She again cautioned that the “US is certainly watching this unfold, and we are watching it carefully both here locally and back in Washington…the Secretary of State has said that there will be serious consequences if the rule of law is not adhered to.”
According to the ambassador, the specifics of the sanctions to be imposed, if any, would be dealt with back in Washington “at the highest levels of the State Department.”
According to Lynch, while she would not be able to comment on specific sanctions, “We stand by our word.”
Defending her recent public pronouncements on the Guyana situation, which were met with accusations of foreign interference, Ambassador Lynch said she was simply pointing out the difference between that and good diplomacy; and had she sat quietly, that could not be considered good diplomacy on her part.
Diplomats across the globe, according to Lynch, pronounce on issues wherever they are serving, and Guyana is no different in this regard.
According to Ambassador Lynch, in its role in the Lima Group, Guyana has spoken out against improprieties it observed in Venezuela. She added: “I don’t see my comments as any different.”
She said it was important, “I mention that, as a democracy, you don’t just get to call yourself a democracy; you have certain responsibilities as a democracy.”
Reiterating her earlier position about democracy being a unique club, the US Ambassador was adamant that “if you want to be a member of that club, you have to adhere to those responsibilities; you have to adhere to democratic principles; you have to adhere to the bedrock of democracy, which is free, fair and credible elections and the rule of law.”
The US diplomat told the reporter that the international community was anxious for a winner to be declared for the elections, given the hiatus that had obtained since the passage of the No Confidence Motion in December 2018.
According to Lynch, “With all things pointing to a very good elections day, it was extraordinarily disappointing to not have things go well during the counting in Region Four, and to have it continuing on to today.”
She observed that it is close to nine after the March 2 polls “and we are getting to the point where it is a historic amount of time in an unresolved election in a democracy.”
Describing that country’s relationship with Guyana as still good, the US Ambassador said, “We do urge the Elections Commission and others involved in this election to resolve the elections very quickly.”
Lamenting the lack of a start date for the proposed recount of the votes by the Guyana Elections Commission, the ambassador noted “that’s a bit disappointing”, but she lauded the Caribbean Community for having demonstrated that it’s really willing and able to assist.
She divulged that the US’ Carter Centre and International Republican Institute are two observers that are willing to again field delegations to Guyana for the recount process.
Looking forward to the activity, Lynch posited: “We have to balance a number of things for this recount to be transparent and accountable.”
She said it also needs to be undertaken in a safe manner, taking into account the coronavirus (COVID-19), but she cautioned, “It needs to be done expeditiously.”
The ambassador said, “I think it can be done. I think Guyana can balance all those things: get the recount started very quickly, and do it in a safe way that is fully transparent.”
To this end, the ambassador divulged that she was pleased to see some reconsiderations on the part of the Commission on the issue of live streaming the activity. She said, “I think that would go a long way, honestly, to the credibility of these elections, and give the citizens confidence to know that the recount now was done in a fair and transparent way.”
