Granger’s CARICOM elections embrace

Dear Editor,

Reacting to my longstanding cynicism regarding the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and its relationship with Guyana, the younger professional intoned: “This is a new era Allan, with a new CARICOM; especially with that Bajan lady of impeccable character, Mia Mottley, as its current Chairperson”.

I agreed to hope so as the brief conversation continued with me outlining my own frank views about the early CARICOM. I recalled that for three decades (’64 to ’92) CARICOM turned a very blind eye to electoral thievery here even though various territories sniggered at our “elections” and some Member States embarrassed Guyanese vendors at their airports. To me CARICOM was then a solid Afro-oriented Members Club.

I even mentioned to my friend that when at Herdmanston House after PNC Street Terror (1997/1998), the late veteran journalist-editor Cecil Griffith questioned Jamaica’s P.J. Patterson about CARICOM’s sustained indifference prior  to its then  Janet/Jagan/Desmond Hoyte intervention, the Jamaican PM was hard put to respond convincingly. I also recalled being in Grenada, as our acting Chief Information Officer, when Cheddi Jagan was almost reduced too lobbying the younger Caribbean leftist opposition fellows for solidarity-support to combat Burnham’s autocracy.

But how the politics of power changes circumstances and perspectives! Prior to our Polling Day, March 02 last and after His Excellency gave an ignominious, somewhat arrogant cold-shoulder to eight – eight (8)  – current and former Prime Ministers of Caricom invited here to mediate over a manufactured election controversy and CARICOM felt slighted. Even as Trinidad’s Keith Rowley gave up, CARICOM Chair Mottley persevered. His Excellency’s candidate even moved to a court to stall the initial agreement.

Suddenly now, both His Excellency and the  Covid Colonel Harmon (PNC Party Agent) are seemingly relying on CARICOM scrutineers  who  “oversaw” the recount to submit a “persuasive” report  to GECOM after their “observation role”.

This somersault in favour of CARICOM, almost to the exclusion of other competent prestigious international observers – now a norm in  modern-day elections – should raise suspicion in someone like cynical me. However I hold my breath just briefly as His Excellency now “depends” on CARICOM to help “determine” the credibility of both elections and recount.

Me? I hold to my long-held view: His Excellency and cohorts will cling to power by ballots, bottlenecks or  bullyism. Delays and litigation prolonged. “Victory” by any means necessary. Let’s see how wrong I’ll be.

So even as a PNC/APNU, young ambitious Turk, Executive James Bond, now alleges that APNU agents at Polling Stations “Colluded criminally” with PPP/C elections personnel  as part of massive PPP election fraud, I await CARICOM’s critical judgement on the recount – claims and counter-claims, “invalidated” Ballot Boxes from PPP strongholds, et al – and wonder whether I should value CARICOM’s conclusions. As His Excellency seems willing to do. (An escape valve? An exit strategy?)

And could CARICOM respectfully remind His Excellency, who forever says that GECOM is constitutionally independent, that he or his Party cannot direct GECOM to do anything?

Yours faithfully,

Allan Arthur Fenty