Guyana's two main parties need to take immediate steps to break the political impasse, including implementing agreements within the ambit of Parliament, says former US President Jimmy Carter.
Carter has been here for the last three days to sound out the views of the country's leaders on the future role of the Carter Center here.
On this point, Carter told a press conference yesterday that he did not want his response to appear as though it was a threat but he would "say that if there is no progress made on the discussion (he had with the political leaders) and there was no indication of good faith by the major political players to resolve (the) deadlock, there would be no need for us to come back here."
But if there was progress or the establishment of a public forum apart from the political process and a call for the setting up of one by Guyanese themselves, he would promise to stay involved. He has also promised to help the judiciary in Guyana aside from politics.
In his discussions with political leaders and members of civil society, he has also looked at creating some movement towards solving a political impasse that has kept the PNCR out of parliament for several months.
Carter also indicated that the Carter Center would not remain in Guyana to monitor the 2006 general elections, as he does not see the need for it.
Five steps
He outlined the five steps on which he said political leaders should consult each other regularly, beginning with the implementation of agreements already reached, as described in the May 6, 2003 communique between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Robert Corbin and other documents; representatives of the PNCR should return to their posts in parliament; and all provisions of the National Development Strategy (NDS), which the Center had played a key role in initiating - should be debated in parliament, with as many as possible debated into law.
He also suggested that the standing committee on Constitutional Review should be reactivated to implement proposals for substantive governance and election system reforms, drawing heavily on civilian participation with the two party documents on governance representing a starting point; and 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. He expressed the hope that civil society would organise itself in a non-partisan fashion for this purpose.
Jagdeo reacts
Meanwhile an Office of the President statement issued to the media following Carter's visit yesterday said that President Jagdeo was pleased with the outcome of the visit and supports the proposals floated.
Jagdeo hopes that the expected meeting with Corbin on these issues would focus on shifting all the matters under consideration to Parliament as he had earlier indicated in his proposal for the new format for dialogue. The dialogue between Jagdeo and Corbin collapsed earlier this year amid much acrimony. Similar dialogue between Jagdeo and Corbin's predecessor, the late PNCR Leader Desmond Hoyte, also met the same fate.
The statement also noted that Jagdeo has advocated that the NDS should be debated in parliament. The NDS was tabled in parliament twice.
In addition, the statement said that the positions that the Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform should be reactivated and an independent civil society forum created were consistent with Jagdeo's views.
Asked to comment on the proposals put to Jagdeo and PNCR leader Corbin, PNCR Executive Member Cheryl Sampson said the PNCR Leader had not seen or heard the release made to the media so he could not react as yet.
Carter said the Carter Center and other international organisations would be eager to assist, upon invitation, in these official and unofficial efforts and to help ensure the integrity of future national elections.
Stating that he does not see the need for the Carter Center in the upcoming general elections, he said that the centre gets many calls to help with elections and can only deal with five per year. He said if the Commonwealth, the Euro-pean Union, the Organisation of American States or the United Nations would be willing to send observers they would be adequate. However, he added that if there was a vacuum and he felt that the elections process was in danger he would consider it.
Carter said the centre promotes legislation ensuring access to information and political campaign financing and has offered this service to the government.
Of more than 120 countries in the world he has visited, he said that Guyana has the most unrealised human and natural potential. It was his hope and prayer that the future would be filled with peace, harmony, mutual respect and economic and social progress.
However, he said there was very little prospect for either substantial economic or social progress unless there is a truce in the political wars.
No one party, Carter said, should bear the blame since the traditions and culture of both major political parties are deeply entrenched and have their roots in 50 years of fierce rivalry that denies the legitimacy of the other party's concerns. He said that this problem could only be solved with basic constitutional changes in the system of governance.
Leaders know
what's at stake
In response to why exactly Jagdeo invited him when the same problems outlined by the political parties and civil society were known, Carter said he had been invited to Guyana by the Guyanese President and Corbin. He surmised that perhaps both leaders had reached an impasse in their ability to communicate with each other in private meetings and in parliament and they probably felt that "we might have been able to break this deadlock."
He said he expressed to both leaders that there was a possibility of withdrawing from the participation in the future of Guyana if there was no progress between them and "obviously they wanted to ensure that that did not happen."
Asked about the leaders' response to the proposals he put to them yesterday after a second round of meetings, Carter said they responded with some disagreement in his assessment but with respect for his own opinion. However, he said they recognised that in almost every case that the proposal made represented the opinions of a wide section of the Guyanese society, including the political parties in parliament and the private sector.
His hope and expectations, he said, were that they deal with three major issues, that constitutional reform be resumed; the NDS implemented and there be a follow-up to previous agreements already reached as expressed in the 2003 communique which he sees as a basis for fuller involvement by the political parties in the governing process.
Asked whether he was proposing power sharing in constitutional reform, Carter said that any further discussions on constitutional reform would have to be done in a private exploratory meeting between the leaders, then in parliament and thirdly within the committee already established for that purpose. He said he would presume that the position papers put forward by both parties would be on the table for discussions as such a process could not proceed if one party's position was completely excluded.
When he left Guyana, immediately after the press conference, his next destination was Venezuela for tomorrow's referendum on President Hugo Chavez's rule where he said "there are political problems and we can't concentrate on just one."
'Process has broken down'
Asked to explain what was meant by his opening statement on his arrival in the country that he believed that the basic integrity of Guyana's political, social and economic systems must be made more responsive to the needs and aspirations of all Guyanese, Carter said Guyanese would normally expect their political parties to represent their points of view in whatever situation or issue and to take them to the National Assembly to pursue their goals within legislation that would be binding on the whole country. That process has broken down to a major degree. Guyanese should feel that if they vote for a party that does not have a majority then at least they would have a voice in the future and not be excluded in the entire political process. He added that the present circumstance in Guyana with a highly divided politically ethnic system has led to actual fear and dissent among ethnic groups and this is exacerbated and aggravated by the disharmony in the top political circles in the country.
He said the process has begun with the establishment of the Ethnic Relations Commission and other committees but the deadlock between Jagdeo and Corbin needs to be broken. He said it was not common in the Westminster system to have an audit committee (the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament) chaired by the opposition or procurement committee chaired or shared between the opposition and the government as is in train in the Guyana parliament. "That promises to be a step in the right direction in sharing other governmental responsibilities."
Asked if he had a commitment from the leaders to implement any of his recommendations he said he felt it was appropriate for the leaders to speak for themselves but his own belief was for them to have early consultation among themselves.
During his visit Carter also met with the international and donor community, the judiciary and public and private sector organisations including labour, and cultural and civic organisations. He held closed-door meetings with all of the parties involved.
Carter recalled his involvement in Guyana with the opposition leader Dr Cheddi Jagan and then President Hoyte with the Carter Center monitoring the 1992 general elections and working for several years with political leaders and members of civil society to develop the NDS which prescribed a future for Guyana based on shared commitment of private citizens and political leaders working in harmony, regardless of their political status, ethnic origin, or political affiliation. One of its key provisions was that the opposition parties would share fully in shaping policies of the nation. Subsequently, he said there were promises of constitutional reform but 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.