…following her threat to revoke int’l observers’ accreditation
In a move that completely stunned stakeholders and attracted the wrath of at least one Elections Observer Mission in Guyana, former Foreign Affairs Minister Karen Cummings on Thursday morning threatened to revoke the accreditation of foreign organisations to observe the 2020 General and Regional Elections.
The threat was issued during a meeting with some observers at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Command Centre at High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown amid much commotion following a fifth dramatic delay in the verification of the results for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
Cummings, a candidate for the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), was accused of trying to intimidate the international missions that are keenly observing the electoral process in Guyana.
She told the international observers that she was instructed to withdraw their accreditation, but she was not in agreement that it should be done; she did not reveal who gave her those instructions and why.
However, her comments were quickly countered by observers in the room, who argued that her remarks are considered a form of intimidation.
“It comes across as intimidation that you are trying to intimidate the observers when you speak about taking away accreditation,” one of the observers is heard saying.
Thereafter, the APNU/AFC representative attempted to apologise, saying “the last word you are hearing from me is to continue doing your job”.
To which, the person responded by saying that “it doesn’t take away from the fact that you made a threat that you were told to take away accreditation”.
At this point, Head of the Commonwealth Observer Mission in Guyana, former Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur intervened and confronted the former Foreign Affairs Minister.
“I speak on behalf of the Commonwealth, the largest organisation of people in the world, and I am not going to have, not me, the Commonwealth disrespected by a threat to take away the accreditation,” Arthur declared.
Dr Cummings then attempted to apologise.
But Arthur posited that “I am going to speak to the Commonwealth Secretary-General shortly…and I have a duty to her to report accurately and I cannot now avoid speaking accurately”.
Moreover, at one point, Arthur held out his accreditation badge to Cummings, saying that he would hand it involuntarily.
As the Head of the Commonwealth Mission continued speaking, Cummings was handed a cell phone by Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers. She began talking to someone on the line and then she was heard saying, “okay, I am coming out”.
Dr Cummings then exited the room.
In brief remarks on the situation during an interview with members of the international and local media earlier in the day, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo described the act as “obscene”.
After Dr Cummings began to receive many criticisms, the APNU/AFC released a statement, claiming that her comments were misunderstood.
“It has been brought to our attention that comments made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Karen Cummings to Members of the International Observer Missions are being shared on social media. We wish to make it clear that the Government of Guyana welcomes the presence of all Observer Missions and are open to their recommendations. We regret any misunderstanding the comments of the Foreign Affairs Minister may have caused,” the APNU/AFC said.
