An editorial on Guyana by Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Dr Ralph Gonsalves

On July 8, 2020, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) delivered its judgement on the long-running saga touching and concerning the election of the President and members of the National Assembly of Guyana — the General and Regional Elections — held as long ago on March 2, 2020.

The CCJ’s judgement was lucid in every material particular.  And as Guyana’s highest, and final, appellate court, it is authoritative.  Thus, any attempt, however ingeniously clothed, to litigate all over again this or that matter upon which there has been a final determination or upon which the CCJ has pronounced authoritatively, is tantamount to an abuse of the process of the court or is frivolous and vexatious.

Since the delivery of the judgment of the CCJ, the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, has been seeking to bring finality to the elections through relevant decisions, declarations, and directives in accordance with the Laws of Guyana and the judgement of the CCJ.  Her central focus has been to get the valid votes, as identified or defined by the CCJ, counted.  At every turn, GECOM has been frustrated by a recalcitrant Chief Elections Officer.

In a normal democracy what should have been a straightforward matter of counting votes, has become the equivalent of a long-running soap opera, pregnant with real danger for the people of Guyana and the Caribbean Community.  This charade ought to be brought to an end immediately and a just declaration made by GECOM in keeping with the clear mandate delivered by the voters of Guyana and in accord with the Laws of Guyana and the CCJ’s judgement.

The entire world realizes that a small group of persons, in and out of Guyana, are seeking to hijack, in plain sight, the elections, and thus the country.  Competitive elections deliver, necessarily, winners and losers.  When you lose, you take your loss like a grown man or woman, and you move on peaceably to the role which the voters, in their collective wisdom, have assigned you.  CARICOM, the Organisation of American States, the European Union the Carter Centre and other independent observers including those from CARICOM, the governments of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the USA have pronounced on this matter, essentially with one voice.  Yet, the dangerous games continue to be placed by a minority of persons associated with the political entity which has plainly lost the election. They are literally playing with fire, commotion, disorder, and civil war.

The leaders of CARICOM, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, cannot and must not appear to be indifferent to, and detached from, what is happening in Guyana. That magnificent country, Guyana, and its industrious people of the highest quality, are dear to us in CARICOM.  We are in solidarity with the people of Guyana; we defend on an ongoing basis the territorial integrity of Guyana.  Today, CARICOM defends democracy in Guyana; we defend the voters of Guyana; we are on the side of the angels in the stand-off between those who reject the people’s verdict and those who insist, properly, on its observance, recognition, formal declaration, and implementation.  Guyana, as the host to the headquarters of CARICOM, as a signatory to the Charter of Civil Society, the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, and other fundamental documents of relevance, has certain fundamental obligations to CARICOM. A rogue clique within Guyana cannot be allowed to disrespect or disregard, with impunity, the clear, unambiguous ruling of the CCJ.  The time for decisive action is shortly upon us.

I am deeply disturbed at the credible reports that persons, purportedly allied to certain political forces in Guyana, have been threatening, defaming, and verbally abusing leading personalities in the CARICOM Secretariat, including the Secretary-General, His Excellency Irwin La Rocque.  This is wholly unacceptable!  Accordingly, I publicly call upon His Excellency President David Granger, an honourable man, to denounce those who have been engaged in such threats, defamation, and verbal abuse.  The voices of all decent men and women of democratic temper must join in the denunciation and condemnation of those whose nefarious agenda is antithetical to everything that is good and honourable in our Caribbean civilization.

These self-same vile and vulgar persons, having failed in their attempts to curse and bully Prime Minister Mia Mottley and former Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur, and me, have now turned their demonic attention to senior staff members of CARICOM and other reputable persons in Guyana and the Caribbean Community.  We must continue, fearlessly, to do the right thing.  The evil of the anti-democratic brigands must not be allowed any space to triumph.

I await, soonest, the declaration by the Chair of GECOM of the results of the elections.  It is long over-due!

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17 Comments

  1. Losten
    July 21, 2020

    Many of you all are comparing this situation to the one in Dominica. It is COMPLETELY different. I’ve been seeing a lot of people getting their info from the Guyanese government so of course it will be bias. They are putting out straight propaganda. The election was rigged by over 10,000 votes! READ PEOPLE READ. google is at your finger tips. Read from other Guyanese courses not affiliated with the government. Bringing in flights to Dominica to vote was wrong but no votes from one party were marked as a vote for the other party!

  2. Batibou River
    July 17, 2020

    Ralph, what do you say about the December election in Dominica? What do you say about the stationing of RSS troops In DA just before the election? Let’s hear it, Ralph!

  3. Bwa-Banday
    July 16, 2020

    Ralph and his caricom hoodlum mis-leaders needs to now take it like a woman and STOP groaning :twisted: :twisted:

    You all sent the RSS to give us pipe like they were working full time for DOWASCO but now you complaining? Hmmmmm! Why not send the same RSS troops to Guyana for us to see how the Guyanese Defense Force would day-kar-lay them. Is only on Dcans you all have strength I see but wait we will soon see how bad the same RSS boys are….In the meantime stop crying and take ALL of it like a grown Ahse woman!

  4. July 16, 2020

    Talk Ralph, that is all you can do. As you talk the the process of deciding who the winner of the March 2nd election in Guyana continues in the Guyana courts. In this situation it seems that there is total disregard for Guyanese law and all that needs to be done to resolve this issue is to follow the dictates of Caricom, OAS, USA, and the commonwealth.

    • Truth Be Told
      July 17, 2020

      The Caribbean Court of Justice CCJ has given the final ruling and directive on this matter. The Government of Guyana and its supporters are using the Courts to stall and steal the elections and that will not work. You really that ignorant to believe that the US, UK, Canada, CARICOM, OAS, CCJ, other regional leaders who have observed and examined the evidence and elections results are all wrong and the one trying to steal the elections is the only right one? Well you sick papa! You must know the law better than all those authorities mentioned? What’s your grudge? Please examine your conscience because something not right with your reasoning and attack on Prime Minister and CARICOM Chair, Ralph Gonzales.

  5. Shaka zulu
    July 16, 2020

    “The voices of all decent men and women of democratic temper must join in the denunciation and condemnation of those whose nefarious agenda is antithetical to everything that is good and honourable in our Caribbean civilization.”
    “The evil of the anti-democratic brigands must not be allowed any space to triumph.”
    Is it the same CARICOM that does not interfere in other countries politics. Is it the same region that watched a dictatorship take root in Dominica. Is it the same CARICOM that refused to listen to the plight of lennox linton. You mia and owen take what you all get. The guyanese folks did not go far enough. The hypocrisy that is going on now will alienate citizens from CARICOM. It is already perceived as useless.

    • July 16, 2020

      And where is the dictatorship in Dominica? For the past 20 years Dominicans have been going to the polls every 5 years to elect a government of their choice in most instances it is done without fear or intimidation. The UWP is the party that brings fear and intimidation to our election process in Dominica by their violent acts, as demonstrated days before the december election in Marigot and Salisbury. DLP supporters were physically attacked, roads were blocked access to and from the Douglas Charles airport was made virtually impossible as UWP supporters in Marigot blocked the road leading to an from the airport with burning debris. What plight is Lennox in? Lennox’s plight is his business and nothing to do with Dominica.

      • Shaka zulu
        July 17, 2020

        You sound like the racist white americans who ask why are people burning down the place after police killed another black man.

      • Batibou River
        July 19, 2020

        Who asked for armed mercenaries to come to our island to intimidate voters?? Was it Linton or was it Skerrit? There we go…! Who wastes government resources. Who refuses to account for huge sums of money from the CBI program? Want me to continue?

  6. Hon Criminals
    July 16, 2020

    I not entering in Ralph, Skerrit, Gaston Brown and CARICOM matter. They destroyed our democracy so let them get what they deserve. They helped Skerrit destroy our democracy here and because Guyanese are more determined he trying to sound like a priest. You wicked guys!!!

  7. Caricom Encore!
    July 16, 2020

    Selective fairness …”elections have consequences’.

  8. Mixed/ Dougla Guyanese
    July 16, 2020

    Before the General Elections on 6 December 2019 you all sent Regional Security System (RSS) troops to the Commonwealth of Dominica help ensure the pre elections climate in Dominica went incident free.

    I urge you all to send RSS troops to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to help ensure the post elections climate in Guyana is without incident.

    Or stop meddling in Guyana’s internal affairs… This elections was primary about race: Afro-Guyanese versus Indo-Guyanese (blacks vs Indians and vice versa) and all CARICOM eyes glued on Guyana’s new found wealth -OIL.

    • July 16, 2020

      It is all about race and both Guyanese indians and the black Guyanese are fully aware what the true issue is. No RSS ca go to Guyana as they have a real army.

    • A View From The Side
      July 16, 2020

      Mixed/Dougla/Guyanese, you are spot on!!! DNO readers need to understand the long sordid history of Guyanese political post-Colonial rule. Both the Crown and the Stars and Stripes have been meddling in Guyanese political affairs since the early days of the Burnham / Jagan era.

      Election rigging, external meddling and racial partisanship have been the hallmark of the Guyanese political scene for donkey years. The Afro Guyanese who were brought to the South American nation as slaves and the Indo Guyanese who began their migration to the country as indentured servants have been at odds with each other since the mid-1850’s.

      The two groups have had persistent enminity between them that has on occasion threatened to morph into full scale civil war. The recent oil discovery has only served to add fuel to a simmering racial and political fire.

      Let us pray that the Most High allows peace to reign in the land of many waters.

      • Toto
        July 17, 2020

        You forget to mention Russia and USA in the mix.

    • Truth Be Told
      July 17, 2020

      You fail to realise that the Prime Minister of Dominica requested Regional Security System (RSS) troops to the Commonwealth of Dominica. The President of Guyana has not made such a request. Blame your PM for his actions and stop blaming other people for Dominica malaise!

      • RoRo
        July 19, 2020

        Exactly, the PM of Dominica did that! For that your PM will pay and all his facilitators as well. You and the PM of Dominica are COWARDS!

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