AFTER some 13 years of close involvement with strengthening democratic renewal here, former United States President Jimmy Carter is frustrated at the continuing political deadlock between the major parties which is hampering progress.
And he has hinted that if the impasse is not ended, his Carter Center would stop its longstanding engagement with Guyana.
President Bharrat Jagdeo announced last month that he had invited President Carter to Guyana to assess how the Carter Center could remain engaged in Guyana despite the closure of its office here.
Carter arrived Wednesday hoping to help make systems here more responsive to the needs of all Guyanese.
"I have a deep personal interest in Guyana and believe the basic integrity of its political, social, and economic systems must be made more responsive to the needs and aspirations of all Guyanese", he said in an arrival statement released to the media.
"The purpose of my visit is to assess whether The Carter Center can make a further contribution to this need", he said.
His frustration at the drawn-out political deadlock was evident by the time he ended his visit Friday afternoon when he appealed for an end to the political wars.
Carter said a "lack of communication" is hampering progress in Guyana and signalled that if there was no progress by the major political players in resolving the deadlock, there would be no need for the Atlanta-based Carter Center to continue its work here.
He declared that there is "little prospect for either substantial economic or social progress unless there is a truce in the political wars."
"No one party should bear the blame. The traditions and culture of both major political parties are deeply entrenched and have their roots in fifty years of fierce rivalry that denies the legitimacy of the other party's concerns.
"This problem can be solved only with basic constitutional changes in the system of governance", he stressed.
A key aide said Mr Carter was frustrated over the continuing political deadlock after some 13 years of involvement in Guyana and the continued engagement of the Carter Center here was "still open".
"We want to help but it is frustrating that nothing much has happened to improve the political situation over the years", the advisor told the Chronicle. "It all depends on movement forward by all sides", he said.
The People's Progressive Party (PPP) and other groups have urged the Carter Center to stay engaged here in the run-up to the 2006 general elections.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, renowned for his peacemaker undertakings in trouble spots around the world, recalled that when he first met the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan more than 12 years ago, he expressed a desire to heal the political divisions and ethnic polarisation in Guyana.
He noted that with the approval of the President Desmond Hoyte, The Carter Center assumed the responsibility of monitoring the election of 1992.
"Since then, we have worked for several years with political leaders and private citizens to develop a National Development Strategy, which prescribes a future for Guyana based on a shared commitment of private citizens and political leaders working in harmony, regardless of their social status, ethnic origin, or political party affiliation.
"This plan was developed under the direction of Bharrat Jagdeo, who was then an official in the Finance Ministry. One of its key provisions was a call for participatory democracy, within which opposition parties would share fully in shaping policies of the nation.
"Subsequently, there were promises of constitutional reform that would fulfill this commitment", he pointed out.
Carter said that instead of achieving this "crucial goal of inclusive and shared governance, the Guyanese government remains divided with a winner-take-all concept that continues to polarise many aspects of the nation's life."
"Most members of parliament are directly dependent upon and responsible to the political party that chooses them, and not to the people whom they profess to represent. There are only spasmodic meetings between political leaders, and publicised agreements reached during those rare and brief sessions have not been fulfilled. The promises of constitutional reform have been frustrated", he declared.
He said he had urged President Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Robert Corbin to consult each other regularly and called on Mr Corbin's People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) to end its boycott of Parliament over differences with the government.
Carter, who flew to Venezuela to be among observers for the referendum there today, said he believes Mr Jagdeo and Mr Corbin could shortly resume communication.
The PNCR leader called off structured dialogue with the President in April this year citing differences with the government and the party has boycotted Parliament, except for one sitting.
Carter played a central role in Guyana's return to free and fair elections at the October 5, 1992 polls, and the restoration of democracy here.
He managed to broker key electoral reforms between the late President Hoyte and Opposition parties, which led to the October 5, 1992 elections, the first free and fair polls here in almost 30 years.
Before then, Mr Hoyte and his People's National Congress had steadfastly resisted implementing changes in the electoral system that had long been characterised by widespread fraud and rigging.
The PPP/Civic won the October 5 elections, ending some 28 years in power by the PNC.
Reflecting his concern over the situation here, Carter told a news conference at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown that although his faith in the Guyanese people remains, "it has been a sobering visit."
"Except among a few political party leaders, there have been almost universal expressions of concern about the present condition and future hopes of Guyana, based on a failure of political leaders to heal the incompatibility and animosity that characterise their relationship", he said.
He said the Carter Center will consider mounting an observer mission to the scheduled Guyana 2006 general elections only if other traditional observer teams will not be here.
He told reporters he did not see the need for the centre to monitor the polls once other observers will be here.
He said that based on many years of observation and his recent conversations with Guyanese citizens and members of the international community, he has shared with President Jagdeo and Corbin his thoughts on some steps that might be taken to ensure political harmony, peace, and stability.
These are:
1. The political leaders should consult with each other regularly, beginning with the implementation of agreements already reached, as described in the May 6, 2003, communiqué and other documents.
2. Representatives of the People's National Congress should return to their posts in the parliament.
3. All the provisions of the National Development Strategy (NDS) should be debated in the parliament, with as many as possible implemented into law.
4. The Standing Committee on Constitutional Review should be reactivated to implement proposals for substantive governance and election system reforms, drawing heavily on civilian participation. The two party documents on governance represent a starting point.
5. An independent civil society forum should be created to lead a structured national discussion on a vision for governance of the country to promote reconciliation and the NDS. "I hope civil society will organise itself in a non-partisan fashion for this purpose", Carter said.
He said the Carter Center and other international organisations will be eager to assist in these official and unofficial efforts and to help ensure the integrity of future national elections, as requested by Guyanese leaders and civil society.
In addition, the centre promotes legislation ensuring access to information and political campaign financing, and has offered this service to the government of Guyana, he said.
"Of all the countries I have visited in the world, Guyana has the most unrealised potential. It is my hope and prayer that the future will be filled with peace, harmony, mutual respect, and economic and social progress", Carter said.
He pointed out that the Carter Center is involved in 64 countries and cannot concentrate on just one country.
He said he had "productive discussions" with Corbin and other leaders of the PNCR, President Jagdeo and the Central Executive Committee of the PPP, Members of Parliament of both ROAR and WPA/GAP, the Chairman and commissioners of the Ethnic Relations Commission, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chancellor, Chief Justice, and President of the Bar Association, representatives of the private sector and trade unions, the Rights of the Child youth group, the international donor community, and others.