PRESIDENT Jimmy Carter is here at the invitation of President Bharrat Jagdeo. Once more his visit comes at a time when the main opposition parties seem incapable of resolving their differences.
When he first came in 1992, the PNC was in power and the PPP was pressing for a number of changes to the electoral system, a system that the party was certain was designed to keep it out of office.
At the time the ballots were counted at a central location. The PPP wanted the ballots to be counted at the place of poll. The PNC contended that to do so would be to expose people to victimisation since the community would know the political loyalties of the various people.
In the end, President Carter prevailed upon the then President Desmond Hoyte to have the ballots counted at the place of poll. He also got Mr. Hoyte to agree to electoral observers who would pronounce on the elections. He himself, and his team formed part of the observers team.
Mr. Carter left before the final votes were in but a method he called the quick count signaled the end of the PNC in power. He is back in Guyana, this time two years ahead of the 2006 elections and once more he is meeting with the various political parties.
He has been hearing the various sides of the same story. The PNCR reported that President Carter opined that the purpose of his visit was to make an assessment of the situation to determine whether, and in what way, the Carter Centre can be of further help to Guyana.
The PNCR said that it informed President Carter of the Death Squad issue; the Communiqué and Follow-up Agreement; Governance issues; and General/Local Government elections.
During his meeting with the PPP President Carter learnt of the violence that followed every election since 1992, the strikes and the apparent refusal of the PNC to be actively involved in Parliament.
Indeed, we are certain that the ills of the PNC dominated that discussion. The PPP is insistent that the PNC is seeking to destabilise the government. One would prefer that the parties would concentrate on the things that could make Guyana a better place. Given the power of the Carter Centre with the various lending agencies, it would be better if Guyana could use the opportunity of the visit to make out a case for further aid to Guyana.
Indeed, the political situation is important but of greater importance would be the economic situation. We are certain that President Carter would feel better hearing about our desire to make life better for all the people of this country.
One local group has seen the invitation as a case of maintaining Guyana's colonial status. This group feels that President Carter would better serve the interests of his country if he should concentrate on the ills there. It also sees President Jagdeo's invitation as a case of perpetuating the dependency.
However, the views of this group seem to be in the minority. Others welcome the visit especially since nothing seems to be going right. We seem bent on a course of self-destruction and it seems that only someone from outside our borders could talk some sense into our heads.
It took the presence of the then Prime Minister of St Lucia, Kenny Anthony, to get President Jagdeo and Mr. Corbin to restart talking to each other. It had to take the Caricom heads to get Mr. Hoyte and Mrs. Jagan to fashion a treaty for the peace of this country.
President Carter is 80. By any standard he is an old man. To expect him to solve our problems is expecting too much. But we are so set in our ways that we are now taking pride in complaining about everything under the sun and to what better person should we complain than a former President of the United States.
President Carter is going to leave but not before he talks to all the sides and advises them to solve all their problems through dialogue. And we are going to listen to him, then heed his advise.