Addressing the 29th Islamic conference of Foreign Ministers in Khartoum, Sudan on June 25-27, Dr. Ishmael said there "is a worrying political concern in our part of the world."

"There is a growing trend of questioning the outcome of general elections. Elections are democratically held, fairly determined and observed by a multitude of reputable international organisations, but then the outcome is not respected by some of the parties involved", he said.

"What happens next is that threats are expressed to make the country ungovernable and programmes for economic and social development are seriously hampered."

"We must stress that the responsibility for maintaining democracy rests not only with the Governments, but with the opposition parties as well. While we agree that Governments have a greater responsibility, they cannot alone guarantee democracy, particularly if opposition political parties hold Governments to ransom", the Ambassador told the conference.

He said this situation has persisted in Guyana.

"With the return to democratic government from 1992, numerous international and local observers have pronounced on the freeness and fairness of elections since then.

"However, the main opposition has determined not to recognise the will of the people, and now some of its leaders are calling for the removal of the government by unconstitutional means.

"Clearly, this is a dangerous development, and international organisations such as the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) must firmly condemn such attacks on democracy", he urged.

He said that despite the limitations of elections, there should never be attempts to discard elections and try to arrive at Governments by non-constitutional means.

"Such attempts are very dangerous and destabilising. We have to develop a democratic culture in our societies to allow democracy to grow, and for citizens to want to defend it", he said.

Ambassador Ishmael added:

"At the international level, we must also pressure the bigger powers to democratise international institutions of which we form a great part of the membership.

"Because the democratisation process is seen to be lacking in international institutions, small countries have almost no role in the decision-making, and have almost no power in multilateral institutions to determine their own economic development."

"With these factors in mind, and in the context of solidarity within our membership, the Government of Guyana again raises at this forum the importance of the establishment of a New Global Human Order.

"We believe that such an Order aimed at reversing the growing disparities between rich and poor, both among and within countries, offers a viable solution to many of the global social and economic ills", he said.

The Guyana proposal for the establishment of a New Global Human Order has been endorsed in a number of international fora, including the Caribbean Community, the Movement of Non-Aligned countries, and by the Group of 77 in its South Summit Declaration, he noted.

He added that in November 2000, in the wings of the Millennium Summit, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 55/48 on the role of the United Nations in promoting a New Global Human Order.

"The Government of Guyana invites all members of the OIC to lend their valuable support to the proposal of a New Global Human Order and to its further promotion."

"The attention of OIC members is also drawn to the call in the UN General Assembly resolution for views of UN Member States on the promotion of this proposal. We urge all OIC members to respond to this call as early as possible", Ishmael said.

He said that international peace and security are key goals of the Islamic Conference, as they are within the international community.

"But peace and security do not connote, alone, the absence of war. We must focus upon the conditions by which civil society is moulded and shaped.

"We must seek to eliminate want by maximising the resources available to our people, even as we enhance the transparency of our Government.

"Through that transparency, we have to demonstrate our essential fairness to the citizenry, engendering, in the process, greater legitimacy and, hence, the stability and continuity of Government", he said.

"It is in circumstances such as these that people will have available, conditions for the realisation of their full potential.