Chairperson of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, says that she has already assured the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger that CARICOM stands ready to facilitate further dialogue to resolve the elections hubbub in Guyana.
“We have done this on many occasions in the past, including in Guyana, when elections have been highly contentious and when social order and the rule of law has been threatened across the region,” Mottley said.
She added, “We are family and this is what happens when there are disputes in families. We will work together to create the space for dialogue and resolution once there is an acceptance on the part of all parties that there is a higher interest beyond simply the result in this election.”
The CARICOM Chair said that the bloc calls on the electoral officials in Guyana and the representative political parties to work together to achieve a peaceful and lawful completion of the electoral process in Guyana.
Mottley noted that it is critical that good sense prevails, while pointing out that the preservation of law and order is paramount and all parties must work hard to ensure that there is peace on the roads and in the communities across Guyana.
“There has already been one death reported overnight. That is one death too many. In simple language, we ask the parties to recognise that the primary consideration must not only be who will be President but, more so, who will be alive come next week or next month, for there cannot be a tolerance for any further loss of life,” she said.
The CARICOM’s Head’s statements come at a time when the two major political parties are locking horns over the declaration of the elections results for Region Four, which have been deemed “unverified” by the observer missions here.
Plans to swear in David Granger were stopped as the Opposition resorted to the court which granted several injunctions on Friday. One of the injunctions bars GECOM and/or its agents from declaring the vote count for Region 4 until it is verified by the Chief Elections Officer.
The Chief Justice will issue her decision tomorrow on whether the matter falls within her jurisdiction.
