Outcry over ongoing delay in Guyana election declaration

UNIVERSITY of the West Indies (UWI) vice chancellor Prof Sir Hilary Beckles in his capacity as Professor of Economic History has added his voice to those of Caribbean leaders and international organisations calling for a settlement of the Guyana general election result in a statement, A New Day in Guyana.

On Sunday came word that Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield had reacted to the Guyana Election Commission order to submit a election report using recount numbers by instead submitting a report using dubious old figures, leading former president Bharrat Jagdeo to call for his firing.

UN resident representative in Guyana, Mikiko Tanaka, on Sunday in a tweet said, “As Latin American and the Caribbean face the worst recession in a century, Guyana is still figuring out how to conclude the 2 March elections.” The Organisation of American States (OAS) on Saturday lamented that the Chief Election Officer had acted in bad faith and contrary to the interest of democracy. “Let us be clear - the only democratic solution for Guyana at this time is respect for the results of the national recount.

“It is past time that the current leaders of Guyana comply with their democratic responsibilities and allow the newly elected government to take its place.”

The UK’s Minister for Sustainable Development and Overseas Territories, Baroness Elizabeth Sugg, on Saturday tweeted, “Guyanese people have waited long enough for election results. Now all legal processes have been completed I urge Guyana Elections Commission to declare a result based on Caricom scrutinised recount. Every vote must count, all must respect those votes, regardless of the result.” Michael Kozak, assistant secretary in the US State Department, on Wednesday tweeted, “The Caribbean Court has ruled. It’s time for Geocom to declare the winner of Guyana’s election based on the national vote recount. The will of Guyana’s voters cannot be ignored.”

Sir Hilary said, “I join with the current and past Heads of Caricom, the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves and the Honourable Mia Mottley respectively, and with the former Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Owen Arthur, in calling for the official embrace of the evidentiary truth of the election.

“Every hour that the celebration of a new day is allowed to sour, the greater will be the tarnish on the varnish of the history of a great nation.”

Sir Hilary gave a personal perspective, recalling the influence on him of his father’s cousin, Hilary Alfonso McDonald (HAM) Beckles, who had left Barbados to become principal of Queens College, Georgetown.

“He married an Amerindian woman, and considered himself a research authority on Hindu culture and Indian civilization. Supporting the nation’s dream for democratic development and the equality of ethnicities was his personal quest.”

Sir Hilary said he himself had embraced the land of a thousand rivers, learning of its history and culture, good times and bad, over a torn and tortured terrain with divisive seeds sown in the colonial waters that nurture the rich land.

While saying the debilitating deployment of ethnic identity was seen in far too many places, he said Guyanese history shows the will of the people must be respected.

“The people have spoken. And so has the highest court. From the 2019-2020 electoral campaign and franchise exercise, their will is now known. With much pain and sacrifice the process has been monitored and reviewed by Caricom.

“The findings of the outcome should be declared and implemented. There is no other option that will be acceptable to the region and wider world. The future of the nation is assured with the compliance of State to the popular will. The regional court is counting on the integrity of the polity to protect the democracy.”

Sir Hilary said fear of the future cannot frustrate the franchise, even as ethical conduct and not ethnic constructs, should rule when democracy is in need of advocacy.

“The children of indigenous survivors, the chattel enslaved, the deceived indentured, and others in between, must now converge at the rendezvous of victory. The minority party should stay the course and continue to contribute to the sustainability and maturity of the integrated, multi-racial nation.” Saying Guyana has much to teach its region and the world, Sir Hilary said this year is the 40th anniversary of the violent taking of Walter Rodney’s life, who was of the generation of scholars nurtured by HAM Beckles.