PPP/C exposes Granger-Govt’s attempts to deflect US “rigging” sanctions

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has blasted the David Granger-led regime over its attempts to link the recent visa restrictions imposed by the United States to the Administration’s denial to grant permission to the US to relay Voice of America (VOA) radio broadcasts to neighbouring Venezuela.

On Saturday the PPP/C said “David Granger and his rigging cabal have launched yet another wave of lies to deceive Guyanese. In this latest attempt the Guyana Chronicle, in an article under the caption ‘Guyana refuses US request to facilitate radio broadcasts to Venezuela’, tried to link these sanctions to Granger’s refusal to grant permission to the US to relay the Voice of America (VOA) radio broadcasts to Venezuela. This is a blatant lie.”
On Wednesday last, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo announced visa restrictions against Guyanese Government and elections officials, and their immediate family members, who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana.

In response the same day, the caretaker Government in a statement said it “regrets” the decision by the US Government.
However, on Friday, reports surfaced claiming that the visa sanctions on Guyanese officials by the US was retaliation after the Guyana Government refused to grant permission to relay broadcasts from Voice of America (VOA) radio station to Venezuela through local medium wave frequencies.
It was reported that in an April 1, 2020 memo to Public Telecommunications Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry indicated that the US was enquiring whether Guyana would be “open to issuing a licence to VOA to put a new sign on MW, either on an existing allocated frequency or a new one”, among other things.

The US had noted it was informed that Guyana has four Medium Wave allocations registered – 1010kHz, 7000Khz; 760kHz and 560kHz – and was seeking permission for the 560kHz station to be leased to VOA.
It was reported that this request was turned down by Guyana.
The revelation of this came on the heels of the Granger Administration accusing the US, which has been vocal on Guyana’s protracted electoral process, of interfering in Guyana’s internal affairs as part of a plot to overthrow the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela.
However, US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, during a virtual media engagement on Thursday dismissed this claim.
“Our objective here is singular; it is to make sure democratic principles are adhered to as well as the law… We’re are focusing on Guyana and it has nothing to do with any other nation,” Ambassador Lynch contended as she pointed out that the US is not alone in its position on Guyana’s current political and electoral impasse.

Rigging cabal’s trampling
In fact, the PPP/C echoed similar sentiments in its missive on Saturday. It said the world knows that these sanctions were long in the making and the reasons for their imposition.
“These sanctions were imposed because of the rigging cabal’s trampling upon the rule of law, their flagrant violations of the Constitution of Guyana, and their repeated attempts to corrupt the results of the March 2nd General and Regional Elections, by various fraudulent endeavours, all designed to defeat the will of the people. This much was made clear by both Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and the United States Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch,” the party contended.
With other countries likely to follow suit and impose sanctions against Guyanese officials, the PPP/C outlined that this increasing pressure that the caretaker coalition is now facing from the international community is because of its deliberate efforts to subvert the will of the Guyanese people.
“Mr Granger needs to be reminded that the trouble his Government is encountering is directly linked to their efforts to subvert the will of the Guyanese electorate who have clearly spoken on March 2 by electing the PPP/C as the new Government,” it noted.
According to the party, the entire world has condemned the attempts to declare fraudulent figures and called for the use of the figures generated from the Caricom-scrutinised recount process.
Noting that such calls have come from the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, European Union (EU), Organisation of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community and the Commonwealth, the PPP/C questioned whether they too had requested to relay radio broadcasts.
Moreover, the party went on to highlight that even President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Adrian Saunders, in his decision two weeks ago, was clear when he said, “Unless and until an election court decides otherwise the votes already counted by the recount process as valid votes are incapable of being declared invalid by any person or authority”.
As such, the PPP/C contended that “the rigging cabal is now brazenly attempting to ensnare the Judiciary in their fraudulent network to steal the next Government. Their approach to the court is simply for the court to order GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) to use the fraudulent report of disgraced Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield which includes more than fifteen thousand (15,000) votes that were not even cast on March 2nd. The law will never countenance such fraud and dishonesty.”