Post by jono on May 20, 2006 13:01:01 GMT -5
Commonwealth special envoy for talks on poll impasse
By Miranda La Rose
Saturday, May 20th 2006
Commonwealth special envoy to Guyana, Sir Paul Reeves is due here for talks on the poll impasse and says compromises must be considered to enable elections to go ahead as soon as possible.
The Commonwealth is also to field an observer mission which would join with teams from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the European Union (EU) that have also been invited to observe the elections by the Guyana government and have responded positively.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek News on Thursday, Sir Paul, who is due in the country this weekend, said he would hope to meet political leaders to see what advice and encouragement he could give to bring a resolution to the current impasse as it relates to the upcoming general elections.
Sir Paul is coming at a time when a lawsuit has been filed in the High Court seeking declarations that the bill passed recently to delay elections was unconstitutional and that no valid poll can be held after August 2.
In addition, no consensus has been reached on the verification of the 2001 Official List of Electors (OLE).
Coming to Guyana with the support, concern and the encouragement of the Commonwealth of which Guyana is a part, Sir Paul said his task was to give a clear message to the political leaders that dialogue and reaching some measure of agreement or letter of compromise was absolutely necessary. Sir Paul was appointed several years ago and has made numerous visits for the purpose of nurturing political dialogue.
"What is in my mind [in relation to the elections] is an image of an egg timer and the sand is beginning to flow away from the top into the bottom and soon the time would be gone. We can't knock around here," he said.
About the impasse between the joint parliamentary opposition parties and the party in government on the verification of the 2001 OLE, Sir Paul said he would seek discussions with both the government and the Leader of the Opposition, Robert Corbin.
"My own point of view is that politicians must take a national point of view and that the question of compromise is one that they should consider. It is no good at the end of the day coming to points of view, which offer no ability to the other side for compromise or engagement," he said.
He said he would be asking the politicians to be statesmanlike and to have a viewpoint, which reflects the good of Guyana as a whole, and to do that would make it possible for the elections to go ahead.
He thinks the issue is "basically what can give people confidence to go ahead with the elections. There are several things that could give people confidence and an accurate voters' list is just one of them."
Asked to comment on the joint opposition's concern that the current preliminary list of electors was not credible since it had not gone through house-to-house verification, Sir Paul said that first of all, it was essential that elections be held.
"It is essential that political parties don't give into posturing but rather seek to find accommodation with each other so that they find common ground that can keep them moving ahead together. It is a critical time in the life of Guyana," he said, adding that unless they get around these "vexatious issues we are going to face a critical situation. Time is not on our side."
He said the Commonwealth's role in the elections would hopefully give people the confidence that the elections are going well and the result reflects the will of the people.
He feels that what should give people confidence so that they could accept the elections as credible includes the integrity of the indelible ink that voters use to indicate that they have voted; an accurate voters' list or as accurate as it could be; and the presence of observers who represent the international community and who would want to ensure that the elections are of such standard that they give Guyana standing in the international community.
Apart from the observer mission, due to arrive in the country during the balloting period, the organisation already has a long-term observer in place in Lach Ferguson. He is due to leave here to take up another post in the Sudan but will be replaced on June 1.
The Commonwealth also has two resource persons assisting the election processes: Ghanaian Dr Kwado Afari-Gyan and Tim Neale both of whom are reported to have vast international experience in electoral processes.
Dr Afari-Gyan is based at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) while Neale is working alongside the local media to ensure as far as possible fair and impartial reporting across-the-board.
In addition to the OAS and the Commonwealth that have positioned long-term observers in Guyana, he said the international community was also represented by diplomatic staff, at high commissions and embassies, who would continue to express their concerns.
Asked whether he had seen any real healing of political fractures or maturity in discussions between the two main political parties since he has been visiting Guyana over the past four years, Sir Paul said, "No. I have not."
However, he said he has been encouraging consensus where it could grow in areas of common concern and to warn people against those points, which could lead to chaos and confusion. He has stood alongside the politicians to be supportive and not obtrusive, he said.
At present, he said, the local political leaders need to assure the citizenry that they are committed to opposing and dealing with the issues of violence and criminality, which continue at an alarming degree.
Asked whether he was saying that the local leaders were not committed to dealing with the issues of criminality and violence, Sir Paul said, "I am not saying that they are not committed. I am saying that they must be giving their utmost attention and energy to securing a lessening of violence and criminality because I believe that the ordinary people are terrified. They must reject this atmosphere of terror because good elections do not take place when people are basically terrorised and feeling fearful for their own safety."
He feels that it is "absolutely vital" that those who were responsible for the deaths of government minister, Satyadeow Sawh, television talk show host Ronald Waddell and the group of people in Agricola two months ago be brought to justice quickly to restore some confidence in the system. "So far no one has been charged with those offences," he noted.
He also believes that the politicians must have some sense of unity. "They must clearly act together as much as they can to make sure that what seem to be threats to democracy, peace and stability are put down; that these things are not part of the political process but that they in fact impede the political process.
"The responsibility is squarely on the shoulders of the political leaders of Guyana. Solutions cannot be encouraged from the outside. It's not my job to supply the answers to the issues that Guyana faces but it is my task to encourage and support them and get them to accept the responsibility that Guyana faces."
By Miranda La Rose
Saturday, May 20th 2006
Commonwealth special envoy to Guyana, Sir Paul Reeves is due here for talks on the poll impasse and says compromises must be considered to enable elections to go ahead as soon as possible.
The Commonwealth is also to field an observer mission which would join with teams from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the European Union (EU) that have also been invited to observe the elections by the Guyana government and have responded positively.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek News on Thursday, Sir Paul, who is due in the country this weekend, said he would hope to meet political leaders to see what advice and encouragement he could give to bring a resolution to the current impasse as it relates to the upcoming general elections.
Sir Paul is coming at a time when a lawsuit has been filed in the High Court seeking declarations that the bill passed recently to delay elections was unconstitutional and that no valid poll can be held after August 2.
In addition, no consensus has been reached on the verification of the 2001 Official List of Electors (OLE).
Coming to Guyana with the support, concern and the encouragement of the Commonwealth of which Guyana is a part, Sir Paul said his task was to give a clear message to the political leaders that dialogue and reaching some measure of agreement or letter of compromise was absolutely necessary. Sir Paul was appointed several years ago and has made numerous visits for the purpose of nurturing political dialogue.
"What is in my mind [in relation to the elections] is an image of an egg timer and the sand is beginning to flow away from the top into the bottom and soon the time would be gone. We can't knock around here," he said.
About the impasse between the joint parliamentary opposition parties and the party in government on the verification of the 2001 OLE, Sir Paul said he would seek discussions with both the government and the Leader of the Opposition, Robert Corbin.
"My own point of view is that politicians must take a national point of view and that the question of compromise is one that they should consider. It is no good at the end of the day coming to points of view, which offer no ability to the other side for compromise or engagement," he said.
He said he would be asking the politicians to be statesmanlike and to have a viewpoint, which reflects the good of Guyana as a whole, and to do that would make it possible for the elections to go ahead.
He thinks the issue is "basically what can give people confidence to go ahead with the elections. There are several things that could give people confidence and an accurate voters' list is just one of them."
Asked to comment on the joint opposition's concern that the current preliminary list of electors was not credible since it had not gone through house-to-house verification, Sir Paul said that first of all, it was essential that elections be held.
"It is essential that political parties don't give into posturing but rather seek to find accommodation with each other so that they find common ground that can keep them moving ahead together. It is a critical time in the life of Guyana," he said, adding that unless they get around these "vexatious issues we are going to face a critical situation. Time is not on our side."
He said the Commonwealth's role in the elections would hopefully give people the confidence that the elections are going well and the result reflects the will of the people.
He feels that what should give people confidence so that they could accept the elections as credible includes the integrity of the indelible ink that voters use to indicate that they have voted; an accurate voters' list or as accurate as it could be; and the presence of observers who represent the international community and who would want to ensure that the elections are of such standard that they give Guyana standing in the international community.
Apart from the observer mission, due to arrive in the country during the balloting period, the organisation already has a long-term observer in place in Lach Ferguson. He is due to leave here to take up another post in the Sudan but will be replaced on June 1.
The Commonwealth also has two resource persons assisting the election processes: Ghanaian Dr Kwado Afari-Gyan and Tim Neale both of whom are reported to have vast international experience in electoral processes.
Dr Afari-Gyan is based at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) while Neale is working alongside the local media to ensure as far as possible fair and impartial reporting across-the-board.
In addition to the OAS and the Commonwealth that have positioned long-term observers in Guyana, he said the international community was also represented by diplomatic staff, at high commissions and embassies, who would continue to express their concerns.
Asked whether he had seen any real healing of political fractures or maturity in discussions between the two main political parties since he has been visiting Guyana over the past four years, Sir Paul said, "No. I have not."
However, he said he has been encouraging consensus where it could grow in areas of common concern and to warn people against those points, which could lead to chaos and confusion. He has stood alongside the politicians to be supportive and not obtrusive, he said.
At present, he said, the local political leaders need to assure the citizenry that they are committed to opposing and dealing with the issues of violence and criminality, which continue at an alarming degree.
Asked whether he was saying that the local leaders were not committed to dealing with the issues of criminality and violence, Sir Paul said, "I am not saying that they are not committed. I am saying that they must be giving their utmost attention and energy to securing a lessening of violence and criminality because I believe that the ordinary people are terrified. They must reject this atmosphere of terror because good elections do not take place when people are basically terrorised and feeling fearful for their own safety."
He feels that it is "absolutely vital" that those who were responsible for the deaths of government minister, Satyadeow Sawh, television talk show host Ronald Waddell and the group of people in Agricola two months ago be brought to justice quickly to restore some confidence in the system. "So far no one has been charged with those offences," he noted.
He also believes that the politicians must have some sense of unity. "They must clearly act together as much as they can to make sure that what seem to be threats to democracy, peace and stability are put down; that these things are not part of the political process but that they in fact impede the political process.
"The responsibility is squarely on the shoulders of the political leaders of Guyana. Solutions cannot be encouraged from the outside. It's not my job to supply the answers to the issues that Guyana faces but it is my task to encourage and support them and get them to accept the responsibility that Guyana faces."
