Opposition Leader hopes to leverage influence in New York’s Guyanese diaspora to address bad governance; govt assures commitment to fairness, democracy

Last Updated on Sunday, 29 October 2023, 22:15 by Denis Chabrol

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton said Saturday’s meeting with a delegation from the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly was aimed at sensitising them on a range of aspects of bad governance and discrimination in Guyana, but he said they did not provide any commitment on whether they would exert pressure in the United States (US) to secure improvements here.

“We didn’t go there,” he told Demerara Waves Online News. At the same time, he highlighted the importance of briefing the fact-finding mission from New York. “The truth of the matter is that it is not always necessary for you to go right up to the top. Let us understand that our base is in New York and they are operating in New York and it is very important for them to understand,” he added.

APNU on Sunday said on its Facebook page that Mr Norton presented a dossier to the New York delegation, outlining the issues he and his team presented. APNU, which is led by Mr Norton’s People’s National Congress Reform, also said, “the visiting delegation expressed appreciation for the presentations and promised to engage in further exchanges to support efforts to improve democracy, good governance, and racial equality in Guyana.”

The Opposition Leader, who was accompanied by several People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity parliamentarians and the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) Catherine Hughes, said during the more than one hour of talks, concerns were raised about the integrity of the voters list and the need for biometrics; discrimination structurally and otherwise, politicisation of the Guyana Police Force, discrimination in the allocation of contracts, problems in the local government system, absence of a confirmed Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary.

The APNU+AFC delegation, he said, believed that the talks could open the doors to address alleged discrimination in the award of contracts. “Remember, they would have faced discrimination as African-Americans and so they are also working on legislation to change procurement procedures etc and we could cooperate and collaborate in those areas to be able to get the changes we need,” he said,

Mr Norton believed that the briefing t0 the fact-finding mission has educated them, a process he expected would lead to support. “We will engage them. We will continue to keep them abreast and we will do our political work at home,” he said when asked about the next steps.

The Opposition team also included (L-R in photo) Ganesh Mahipaul, MP – Shadow Minister on Regional and Local Development; Roysdale Forde SC, MP – Shadow Minister on Legal Affairs; Cathy Hughes, MP – Shadow Minister on Tourism and Communication; Amanza Walton- Desir, MP- Shadow Minister on Foreign Affairs and International Relations; and Mervyn Williams, PNCR Central Executive Committee member.

A day before Saturday’s meeting, the US delegation met with Prime Minister Mark Phillips and several other government ministers and later on with President Irfaan Ali.

Retired Brigadier Phillips was quoted as saying on his official Facebook page after the meeting that, “As a Government, we are committed to good governance in Guyana, delivery of goods and services in an equitable manner to all the people of Guyana. We are committed to upholding the democratic traditions of Guyana. We believe in democracy; we believe in the rule of law and we strongly believe that we must remain engaged and must strengthen the bonds with Guyanese in the diaspora.”

Furthermore, according to the Prime Minister,the visiting officials gained valuable insights into the Government’s inclusive policies and its ambitious agenda for development in various sectors, including healthcare, education, and the national housing programme.

The Prime Minister’s delegation included Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony; Minister of Education; Priya Manickchand; Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy; Foreign Secretary, Mr Robert Persaud; Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Mr Sherwyn Greaves and Chief Development Planner CH&PA, Ms Germene Stewart.