The irony of Harmon’s message to Biden

Dear Editor,

The irony of Joseph Harmon’s hurried congratulatory letter to American President-elect Joe Biden cannot be lost on all with knowledge of Guyana’s recent electoral travails, for it would seem President Trump will be replicating claims and legal manoeuvres made by the Granger/Harmon group. So what exactly is Harmon hoping to achieve given that Biden will certainly have no empathy with undemocratic practices. America is built on democratic principles and those do not vary on party lines. Fraud is fraud and is viewed as such by the American establishment be it Republican or Democrat.

In his haste to position himself and others favourably, Harmon committed a faux pas by saying “The APNU+AFC Coalition also looks forward to briefing you and Vice President-elect Harris”. American Presidents are not ‘briefed’ by foreign politicians, maybe Comrade Harmon has forgotten about his relinquishment of American citizenship.

Harmon also insults the American nation when attempting to curry favour when he says Biden has “the unenviable task of restoring the United States’ status and reputation globally”, for America remains the leading nation in the world and the undisputed economic and democratic superpower; Harmon may want to seek advice before putting pen to paper in such reckless fashion in the future. The nation of Guyana is still reeling from the effect on her reputation caused by the train-wreck known as the APNU+AFC Coalition. Who can forget Karen Cummings at the Ashmin’s building?

And for those who forgot about Guyana, a recent article in the Washington Post reminds all too graphically “Then-President David Granger, on the cusp of losing, baselessly blamed votes by dead people and noncitizens in the March elections … After a laborious recount and a feud in the courts, Granger ultimately backed down after a five-month standoff, allowing opposition candidate Irfaan Ali to be sworn in as president in August. That happened in no small part due to U.S. pressure”.

“The Granger government must respect the results of democratic elections and step aside,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in July as he announced new visa restrictions on “individuals responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Guyana”

Given the likelihood of similar claims and legal challenges by the incumbent Trump against President-elect Biden, it is unlikely that Harmon and his ilk can/will find favour within the democratic camp. It would have been more helpful for Harmon if he shared democratic principles with the president-elect instead of only the same first name.

Yours faithfully,

Robin Singh