Granger please step aside… Green Card holders under watch – fmr. US Govt. officials

Being a US citizen or Green Card holder does not mean protection from that country’s laws especially when it comes to actively participating in pushing narratives that can derail the democratic process in another country.
In fact, there can be criminal prosecutions in US federal courts.
That much was said last evening when two former top US government officials, familiar with the process of sanctions, appeared on ‘Room 592’ on Kaieteur Radio.

The two guests were Douglas Meurs, a former Political Advisor and Director for Somalia, and of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Deborah Misir, a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy, US Department of Labor. Misir’s parents came from Guyana. She married here a decade ago and would have risen to one of the top US posts.
Meurs’ first diplomatic post was in Guyana years ago.
The appearance of the two on the highly watched show would have come hours after the US, and its embassy in Guyana, confirmed that the visas for several government officials were yanked for their roles in thwarting the democratic will of the people.

It has been more than 135 days since the March 2 elections which handed the David Granger-led administration a devastating loss in its first term. The loss was confirmed by a stormy recount of the ballots cast with the Coalition filing, through various supporters, one court case after another to delay a declaration.

The Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, is under fire for refusing to submit recount figures that would see Irfaan Ali, as presidential candidate for the Opposition’s People’s Progressive Party/Civic being sworn in.
The local political climate has been tense with a number of oversees players openly using social media to attack and bully outspoken opposition members and supporters.
According to Misir, it is intolerable that the caretaker president, David Granger, is continuing to hang on…he should know “respectfully”, that it is time to leave, the lawyer said.
She said that it is time to respect the will of the people and of the voters, and for the country to move forward together, constructively.

She believes that the sanctions announced were warranted as elections were several months ago.
Misir acknowledged that there have been delays with frivolous litigation brought by caretaker government to impede and stop the proper transfer of power.
According to the lawyer, it is just ridiculous that there could be any attempts not to be obliged to Guyana’s highest judicial body…the Caribbean Court of Justice, which has ruled.
According to Misir, it is also preposterous to believe that a government change in the US would soften the stance of the government there to the situation in Guyana.
The reason is simple…any administration of the US will support the will of the people.

It was noted that there are a number of tools, starting with immigration.
It was pointed out that there are over one million Guyanese in the US, who are citizens and Green Card holders.
There can be impacts to immediate family members of those who seek to frustrate the will of the Guyanese people.
Then, there are several tax and other anti-money laundering and corruption laws, which can be used to investigate and prosecute.

The former officials, last evening, made it clear that there are also no-fly lists, terrorist classification and other measures as well.
The former Assistant Secretary was clear…Granger and his coalition have lost the elections, and it’s time for them to go.
Asked about those who would believe that they have a safe refuge in the US and use means, like social media, to help the coalition to continue to hang on to power, Misir said that authorities of the US would likely be aware of the persons involved and monitoring them.
“What they are doing…they are putting themselves in legal jeopardy,” she said.
The measures are even more serious for US citizens.
She said that one would not want to be hauled before a court on wire fraud and on conspiracy to commit acts as these would be easy to prove in federal courts.

Misir pointed out that Manuel Noriega, a former Panamanian politician and military officer, and Dino Bouterse, son of former Suriname president, Desi Bouterse, have ended up in US jails.
“The reach of the US is far…it is strong. And it is righteous in wanting to ensure that the will of the Guyanese people are respected.”
Meanwhile, according to Meurs, Venezuela would be a good example. Some 718 individuals from 150 entities were sanctioned.

They were halted from travelling with assets frozen. There would have been difficulties thrown up to make it problematic to do business.
He warned that one of the worst things is falling under the financial scrutiny of US, the UK, the Canadians, the EU and international and financial bodies.