GUYANA | Democracy is under threat in Guyana Laments PNCR's Aubrey Norton

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, March 25, 2022 - Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton has outlined a litany of woes being faced by the parliamentary opposition in relation to democratic political practices in Guyana.

Speaking to the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Caribbean, Dianne Feinstein who recently visited Guyana, Norton, accompanied by Party Chairman Shurwayne Holder and General Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmond, told Ms Feinstein, that the mechanism set up to manage Guyana’s oil revenues, has deliberately excluded elected representatives of almost half of the population.

The PNCR leader told the US under-secretary that the PPP administration has no interest in democracy. He claims that the PPP has used its majority on the parliamentary appointments committee to vote down the four opposition nominees to be the parliamentary representative for the Board of the Natural Resources Fund (NRF). 

Norton indicated that what exists is a pro-government, non-representative board that is not disposed to protecting Guyana’s interest but promoting the interest of the People’s Progressive Party.” 

Norton informed Demerara Waves Online News that opposition nominees - Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram,  Economist Mr. Low, Petroleum Engineer Dr. Vincent Adams and Economics Professor Clive Thomas -  were rejected by the governing PPP and resulted in their appointing their own nominee.

Norton who is poised to become the next Leader of the Opposition was accompanied by the party’s General Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmond and Chairman, Shurwayne Holder. A release from the PNCR did not give details of the meeting. Accompanying Ms. Feinstein were the US Ambassador to Guyana, Ms. Sarah Ann Lynch and Desk Officer, Ms. Kelly McGray. As reported by the US Embassy in Georgetown, the visit underscores the continued importance the United States places on the U.S./Guyanese partnership.

The PNCR leader also raised with the United States Under-Secretary the need to have a “clean” voters list as a condition for any credible election.

 “We have indicated to them that we do not see a democracy or an election, as reflective of the popular will, if there is a bloated list and demand their support for a clean voters’ list since we believe that it’s critical to free and fair elections,” he said. 

The opposition coalition maintains that the March 2, 2020 elections were rigged by the PPP while the PPP consistently points to efforts to declare the coalition the winner contrary to the Statements of Poll which were proven in the results of the national vote recount.

The PNCR Leader said he told the State Department official that the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, seemed to be pro-PPP. 

“The Chairman of GECOM seems to have no independence, and just votes with the government. The PNCR Leader said he told the State Department official that the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, seemed to be pro-PPP. 

“The Chairman of GECOM seems to have no independence and just vote with the government, regardless  thus compromising GECOM since the Chairman is expected to be impartial,” Mr. Norton said.

The commission is almost evenly split between three representatives each of the PNCR-controlled A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) and the PPP, with the Chairman required to vote with either side if there is no majority among the six. 

The PNCR Leader said he also told the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Caribbean that the Guyana Police Force was being politicized and there was “illegal incarceration” of persons for 72 hours in the absence of reasonable suspicion that they have committed crimes.

His party, he said, also sought support from the United States on the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela. Guyana’s case on the border issue is being adjudicated by the International Court of Justice.

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo discussed the strengthening of Guyana's democracy with with United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara Feinstein.

Jagdeo represented the government at the meeting with the US government official and  he made it clear that his administration was committed to working with all of Guyana and the international community in strengthening the country’s democracy.

Jagdeo told a press conference on Friday: “This is not an alien value to the PPP. We have, consistently from the beginning of the party, fought for and defended democracy. I pointed out the track record of the PNC on this matter. I pointed out that from the period in 1964 to 1992 they stayed in office through rigged elections and that the United States did not have to take my word for it, they can find evidence of this in many reports issued by US successive governments,” Dr. Jagdeo stated.

The comments by Vice President Jagdeo comes on the heels of the Opposition Leader releasing speaking notes to the media following his meeting with the U.S Deputy Assistant Secretary. 

United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara Feinstein.

Further, the claims by the opposition that the voters list on which the PPP won the 2020 elections was bloated was dismissed by the VP. He said the same notion was not being peddled by the opposition when they won by a slight margin in the 2015 election, pointing out that their notion is blatantly false.

Dr. Jagdeo also highlighted what he said was the hypocrisy of the PNC and their concerns of the residency requirement to vote in Guyana. He claimed that in the early 2000s, the PNC sat with the PPP and agreed to remove the residency requirement from registration and voting. 

He explained that prior to that, for an individual to vote, they had to be Guyanese and be resident in Guyana.

“So, this whole issue about a bloated voters list is a smoke screen for their attempt to rig the elections. I pointed out that we are going to work with the international community and all the parties including APNU in the parliament to strengthen the laws surrounding the conduct of election, to remove discretion and the room for capricious behaviour by any elected official,” Jagdeo maintained.

“That is why the Representation of the People Act has been out in the public domain for several months now. We have received recommendations, we are in the process of looking through those recommendations, redrafting the recommendations to be tabled in next sitting of the parliament and that legislation will be debated there.”

He said the reform of the ROPA legislation will help to determine transparency around the conduct of the elections, tabulation of the results and announcement of results.

LEAD PHOTO CAPTION - Deputy Assistant for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti Bureau of Western Hemisphere, Ms. Barbara Feinstein, paid a courtesy call on the Leader of the PNCR, Mr. Aubrey Norton, this afternoon (24th March) at the Party Headquarters, Congress Place. With the Party Leader at the meeting were the Party Chairman, Hon. Shurwayne Holder, MP and General Secretary, Hon. Geeta Chandan-Edmond, MP. Accompanying Ms. Feinstein were the US Ambassador to Guyana, Ms. Sarah Ann Lynch and Desk Officer, Ms. Kelly McGray.

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