Dear Editor,
There is no doubt that if the Americans require free and fair elections in Guyana we will have it. That is the sway the world’s most powerful nation hold over our dear old Guyana. For the record I have absolutely no problem with this except that such great power should be exercised for justice and fair play.
The Americans are sitting pretty. They have already secured the oil. As they did with Burhnam they could choose to turn a blind eye. Any indecision or indifference on the part of the Americans will be taken as tacit approval for PNC to execute its own nefarious plans. The framework is already in place and their agents are standing by.
Guyana’s black gold is making international headlines. Oil companies are listed and stock prices are inextricably linked and move relative to noteworthy events such as the securing of concessions, exploration, discoveries and the monetization of oil fields. For the uninitiated, stock prices reflect, well in advance, the predictable fiscal outcomes of each activity or resource including inactive resources. Oil executives are able to leverage oil assets and their proposed actions with surgical precision. However, the stock market is also very fickle and stockholders could just as easily loose a fortune with the mere announcement that an oil company is corrupt or is engaged in corrupt practices. It is usually the protracted investigations which take a toll on investor confidence which can make a company vulnerable. The business of oil therefore requires political stability and legitimacy which can only come from a functioning democracy.
In all fairness the Americans, in collaboration with the UK and the EU, issued a forceful statement to this Government, after if fell from office following the passage of the NCM in December 2018, to adhere to the constitution. However, that was not enough. The Government has ignored the diplomatic community and with the help of GECOM and the Courts including the CCJ remains in office illegally nearly one year later in clear violation of the constitution.
Approximately half of all Guyanese including those in the diaspora are doubtful if the next elections will be free and fair. It is a blatant injustice that our election machinery cannot be trusted but it is what it is. All eyes are now on the Americans. Will they accept being rebuffed that their electoral intervention is not needed and send the message that the Government can do as it pleases or will they stand up like before for democracy and chaperone GECOM to deliver free and fair elections? Their silence or action will make all the difference.
Sincerely,
Ravi Ram