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The Guyana Update -- January, 1998. |
Fifteen days after ballots were cast in general and regional elections, Elections Commission Chairman Doodnauth Singh on December 30, 1997 declared the final results showing a large victory for the ruling PPP/Civic.
The Chairman's declaration came after several aborted attempts at verification of the votes were made during the two-week period after the elections..
The announcement of the results followed a majority decision of the Elections Commission which also agreed for an international audit of all the election material. This audit was initially proposed by the Private Sector Commission.
The results announced showed the PPP/Civic securing 220,667 votes to the People's National Congress's (PNC) 161,901 votes. The United Force (TUF) gained 5,937 votes and the Alliance for Guyana (AFG) 4,783. As a result the PPP/Civic has captured 29 of the 53 elected seats in the National Assembly and the PNC 22, with one each going to TUF and AFG.
The other parties, the Guyana Democratic Party, with 2,528 votes; a Good and Green Guyana (AGGG) with 1,552; Justice For All Party with 1,265; God Bless Guyana, 314; the National Democratic Front, 105 votes; and the National Independence Party all failed to gain seats in the National Assembly.
In the regional elections, the PPP/Civic gained control of the regional democratic councils (RDCs) of Barima/Waini (Region One) Pomeroon/Supenaam (Region Two), Essequibo Islands/West Demerara (Region Three), Mahaica/Berbice (Region Five) and East Berbice/ Corentyne (Region Six). The PNC retained control of Demerara/Mahaica (Region Four), Cuyuni/Mazaruni (Region Seven) and Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice (Region Ten). In Region 10, the PPP/Civic significantly won increased support and now has three seats instead of one that it previously held. In the Upper Essequibo/Upper Takutu (Region Nine) the PNC will hold the balance of power with four seats with TUF and PPP/Civic having five seats each and the AFG one seat. In Potaro/Siparuni (Region Eight) the PNC has the largest block of seats, five, on the 15-seat council, and would need the support of either the AFG with four seats or the TUF with two seats for control. The PPP/Civic has four.
The Chairman, in declaring the results, expressed confidence that there had been no act of dishonesty on the part of the Elections Commission or officials of the commission.
He said that the statements which had been used to manually tabulate the results had been verified on at least four occasions by all the parties, except the God Bless Guyana party.
As regards the proposed international audit, he announced that all the ballot boxes and other material would be secured and made available to the auditors when appointed, as well as to support any election petition to challenge the results of the polls.
The PNC, the AFG and the GDP have expressed strong reservations over certain aspects of the poll and alleged fraud. Street protests have been organized by the PNC and the party has also filed a legal challenge to the declaration of Mrs Jagan as President.
Significantly, the results showed a stunning reversal of fortunes for the PNC in Region One which it had won in 1992. Whereas it captured eight of the 15 Region One seats in 1992, the PNC only was able to win four this time compared to the PPP/Civic's nine. In 1992, the PPP/Civic had secured only one third of the 15 Region One seats.
The PPP/Civic's national vote count was up from 53.4% in 1992 to 55.2% in 1997 or 162,058 votes to 220,667 votes. The PNC suffered a drop from 42.3% to 40.5% even though it gained 161,901 votes this time compared to 128,286 in 1992. TUF also overtook the WPA/AFG as the party with the third highest vote. TUF secured 5,937 votes compared to 3,183 in 1992 while the WPA secured 6,068 in 1992 but only garnered 4,783 as the AFG this time around.
The announcement of the results was made in the presence of representatives of the United Nations Development Program and the European Union which had provided considerable support for the work of the commission in preparing for the elections. Also present were representatives of AGGG and TUF, whose leader, Manzoor Nadir told reporters that he was prepared to accept the figures announced by the Chairman of the Elections Commission.
The two PNC members of the Commission did not attend the function.
Results for national elections
Total votes cast.....................................................408,057
Votes rejected...........................................................8,747
Valid votes............................................................399,310
Votes cast in favor of the following:
Alliance for Guyana..................................................4,783
A Good and Green Guyana.......................................1,552
Good Bless Guyana.....................................................314
Guyana Democratic Party ........................................2,528
Justice For All Party................................................ 1,265
National Democratic Front..........................................105
National Independence Party.......................................208
People's National Congress...................................161,901
People's Progressive Party/ Civic..........................220,667
The United Force ....................................................5,937
Seats allocated in the National Assembly
AFG - 1, PNC - 22, PPP/C - 29, TUF - 1
Results for the Regional Elections
Total votes cast.....................................................408,003
Votes rejected.........................................................11,737
Valid votes...........................................................396,266
Votes cast in favor of the following:
Alliance For Guyana.................................................4,717
A Good and Green Guyana.......................................1,975
Guyana Democratic Party.........................................2,652
Justice For All Party ................................................1,091
National Democratic Front............................................30
People's National Congress...................................160,019
People's Progressive Party/Civic...........................219,651
The United Force .....................................................6,131
Regional seats allocated
Region..........AFG......GDP......PNC .......PPP/C.......TUF
One..................-............-............4.............9................2
Two.................-............-............5...........12................1
Three...............-............1............7...........20................-
Four................1............-...........18..........16. ...............-
Five.................-............-.............6...........12................-
Six...................-............-............8............22...............-
Seven..............- ............-............8.............6................1
Eight...............4............-.............5............4.................-
Nine................1............-.............4............5................5
Ten.................1............-...........14............3.................-
My Fellow Guyanese,
I want to speak to you tonight as we usher in the New Year about the things we want most in our lives and for Guyana - peace, prosperity and happiness. These are not impossible dreams or empty wishes. Peace, plenty and happiness are
the things for which generations of Guyanese worked and sacrificed. Over the past five years Guyana has achieved much that brought back pride and comfort to our people. The shining rays of peace and happiness, and the patterns of new progress, at long last, have emerged on our shores.
We became a nation on the rise. We achieved international recognition. And we received the goodwill and assistance from various quarters.
We are proud of our remarkably consistent economic growth of about seven per cent every year. Can we forget the rehabilitation of our major infrastructure -- our water, electricity, roads, medical, health and transportation systems? Can we ignore the unbelievable progress that we made in housing and agricultural development?
And do we not bear witness to the great changes in every village, every settlement, every town and in every region in Guyana in the last five years? Those were the achievements that helped to return a feeling of peace and happiness to Guyanese.
As we closed those five years, Guyanese were beaming with pride and dignity that our country is free, that Guyana has joined the ranks of democratic nations, and that we have restored the inalienable right to freely elect a Government of our choice.
With these thoughts of our achievements and progress in our nation's collective mind, we went to the polls for fresh elections on December 15, 1997. We wanted the democratic process to again speak for us all by having a Government that the majority of people have chosen. Yes, the people of Guyana have chosen as the official results of the elections revealed. The PPP/Civic has won a majority of votes, and has been reelected to Government. I would like to thank those who gave us this opportunity to continue our valuable work on behalf of all Guyanese. I thank you for your patience and restraint, and above all, your fortitude in standing firmly for democracy.
The December 15 elections have been free, fair and transparent. The final count reflects the will of the electorate.
Now that the final official results are out, my Government wishes to contribute to efforts that will ensure that our democracy is not tainted. All allegations, however minor, must be put to rest once and for all. Our Government has therefore studied a proposal from the Private Sector Commission that a firm of international standing be invited to conduct an audit of all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the elections.
We agree with this proposal and accept as well an offer from the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) which observed the elections under the leadership of former American Ambassador, Mr George Fleming Jones, to assist with the audit.
We welcome this initiative and assure that we will give every cooperation to the Guyana Elections Commission and the auditors in their efforts, which we are confident, will help to strengthen the foundation of our democracy.
Fellow Guyanese, I wish to take this opportunity to declare to you that our Government is unalterably committed to the path of multi-party democracy, good governance and the rule of law. Free and fair elections and elections free from fear must become a cardinal foundation of our democracy. Our democracy, our society, must be based on a vibrant economy, freedom, justice, peace, security and high moral values.
I know, however, that the society such as we all desire will not come easily, or without sacrifices. Our Government will continue to make every effort necessary to build this new society, and I ask you also to play your part.
This bright new day of 1998 will take us into the last lap before we embark on the 21st century. It is not too soon that we should begin to make our definitive resolution on how to get there.
I must be frank: Guyana can get to the 21st century only as a united people. Therefore, in this new year, let us make a strong resolve to continue to bridge our differences. There must be no room for race hate or political recrimination. We need to work together to promote harmony and understanding so that we can move forward in unity.
Our Guyana must be based on national unity. Oneness and unity must be the creed of every true Guyanese heart. The true Guyanese heart must recognize each other for our sterling worth and not for any other consideration. Working and living in unity is the only forward way for this nation.
It is in this way that we can show the world a shining example of a nation bonded in peace and harmony -- a nation which has fused its diverse cultures and religions in a rich Guyanese tapestry of exceptional beauty.
My fellow citizens, as we now look ahead, we must strive to do better. We need better delivery of services, better work ethic, better discipline and better governance at the local and central government levels. We need stronger
partnership and, as I said at my inauguration, an all-inclusive approach.
We need a tighter economic management to ensure that resources are not squandered and actual benefits go to the Guyanese working people. In this regard, I want to assure all Guyanese, particularly the private sector, that government will take all steps to erase any jitters in the foreign exchange market. I am told that Guyana currently has the highest foreign exchange reserves in the Caribbean and this will be used if necessary to maintain the strength of our currency.
As we celebrate, I wish to convey my sincerest appreciation to all members of the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Fire Service and other ranks of the Disciplined Services who worked with commitment, professionalism and dedication over this period. I wish you and your loved ones greater joy in this new year.
I wish happiness for all our working people, our women, youth, children and our elders. May this new year herald prosperity for every Guyanese, wherever they are, and to all visitors and friends of Guyana.
Long live the people of Guyana!
The independent Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) monitored 644 or 35% of the 1,840 polling places, and fielded 100 volunteers as polling officials for the December 15, 1997 general and regional elections.
The head of the EAB observer team was the Guyana-born radio journalist and UN Communications Consultant, Mr Hugh Cholmondeley, who declared after the poll that the electoral process was free, fair and transparent.
A feature of the Guyana elections is counting of ballots at each polling place at the close of polling, which was re-introduced in 1992.
Each contesting political party is represented at the count which is verified in a Statement of Poll.
The EAB stated in its Interim Report released on December 24: "No polling place was considered to have had an unacceptable or invalid poll. EAB observers reported no incident of fraud from the time of the opening of polling stations to the counting of the ballots at the end of the day."
The EAB stressed: "Just over two-thirds (68%) of EAB observers considered the election day processes as totally acceptable. The remaining one-third (32%) concluded that, despite a few irregularities, the final result would have been unaffected by activities on election day."
The preliminary count at the polling places was sent from almost all regions. The tally sheets from distant areas were processed and early results were announced.
However, many polling places in Region Four, which includes the capital Georgetown, and is thus nearest to the Elections Commission headquarters, did not send in their results.
There was a number of hiccups, i.e., in transmitting the poll statements, unsigned statements, in transporting Presiding Officers and their ballot boxes, etc. These caused a hold-up of the process, and gave rise to apprehension that all was not well.
The Elections Commission had to set aside verification of outlying regions and deal with the Region Four count. It would appear that the real complication emerged when the Commission discovered that Statements of Poll were missing, and many were not signed by Presiding Officers.
At no time could that controversy taint the purity of the preliminary count at each polling place.
The political parties knew what the results were from information received from each polling place.
The problem only arose from a breakdown in early announcement of all votes cast in Region Four, more specifically in Georgetown, where the non-compliance of Presiding Officers with instructions became more pronounced.
The Minority PNC and some other small parties exploited the delay in verifying and documenting the results to raise accusations of fraud and "massive rigging".
Those charges were also used to seek judicial intervention to (a) halt the count verification; (b) stall the announcement of certified results and, later, (c) frustrate disclosure of the final results of the elections.
As part of this ploy, a court declaration was sought in a desperate bid to prevent the swearing-in of the new President and to restrain her from executing presidential duties.
The International Foundation for Election Systems, a Washington-based non-government organization, sent eight observers headed by former U.S. Ambassador, George Fleming Jones. IFES has worked with the Guyana Elections Commission since 1990, and observed the first post independence free and fair elections in 1992 and the first honest local government elections in 1994.
In his after-elections declaration, Ambassadors Jones said: "Guyana is to be congratulated. By international standards, by any standards, yesterday's election was peaceful, orderly, totally transparent, and professionally managed."
IFES mentioned dissatisfaction with the breakdown of the Commission's plans for the rapid transmission of results, but they concluded that the elections were free and fair.
It was on the basis of what the Fleming Jones mission observed that IFES President Richard W. Soudriette greeted Ms Janet Jagan as the duly-elected new President of Guyana.
He expressed pride in "the Guyanese people for participating in such great numbers in a peaceful, orderly and transparent election."
Similar sentiments have been expressed by the Commonwealth observers and members of the Organization of American States (OAS) monitoring group.
From the behavior of some Presiding Officers in the Georgetown area, who did not comply with electoral procedures, fears have arisen that mischief had been afoot.
As the Stabroek News asked, was there a plot of some sort to derail the elections?
There is need for an inquiry into possible sabotage of certain stages of the electoral process, but this cannot invalidate the vote count which was monitored on the ground.
It is this result which the Elections Commission has in its possession and which must be announced without further delay.
As Ambassador Jones observed, "no election is perfect, in any country, and this election was not devoid of problems."
Having experienced rigged elections in 1968, 1973, 1980, 1985 and registration chaos in 1990, Guyana needs time to perfect the electoral machinery.
An international audit of all stages of the 1997 elections could tell us what went wrong, and how we could make future elections flawless. . .
The parties know by now that the PPP/Civic has won a comfortable victory of 29 seats with 220,000 or 55% of the votes; PNC, 22 seats with 160,000 or 41% of the votes; and the TUG and WPA one seat each in the 53-seat National Assembly.
The final results of the regional elections . . . show the PPP/Civic leading in six of the 10 regions; the PNC in three, and TUF in one.
The results bear semblance to those of 1992, except this time around the PPP/Civic has made inroads in the regional vote, and increased its national showing by two per cent.
The Guyanese electorate has indeed spoken.
The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana wishes to inform all Governments and the international community as a whole about events in the country following the recently concluded General and Regional elections held on December 15, 1997.
First, however, it is necessary to give the historical perspective with respect to National and Regional Elections in Guyana.
Elections in Guyana under the previous People's National Congress (PNC) regime (1964 to 1992) were blatantly rigged and characterized by massive fraud.
A verdict delivered at the end of the elections in 1980 which were scrutinized by an international team of observers had this to say:
"On the basis of abundant and clear evidence the election was rigged massively and flagrantly. Fortunately, however, the scale of the fraud made it impossible to
conceal either from the Guyanese public or the outside world. The events we witnessed confirm also the fears of Guyanese and foreign observers about the state of the country ..."
With respect to the 1985 elections, International Observers condemned them as "blatantly and clumsily rigged" and as being "crooked as barbed wire"
For almost three decades the People's Progressive Party (PPP) under the leadership of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan waged a campaign both at home and abroad for free and fair elections in Guyana. Desmond Hoyte, the then President, was forced during 1990 to 1992 to concede to electoral reforms he had refused to carry out for the 1985 elections and prior to the visit in October 1990 of former US President Jimmy Carter.
Considerable local pressure mainly from the People's Progressive Party (PPP) and an intense external lobby contributed significantly to the realization of free and fair elections in Guyana.
On October 5, 1992, Guyana held its first free and fair elections in thirty years. As a result of these elections, a broad democratic alliance, PPP/Civic formed the Government. Dr Cheddi Jagan became the first freely and democratically elected President of Guyana. This became possible as a result of new circumstances that had arisen both at home and abroad.
On the international level the ending of the cold war witnessed an insistence on the standards of good governance and human rights. The international financial institutions, such as the IMF, as well as bilateral donors were thus able to insist that recipient countries, such as Guyana, meet certain criteria for assistance among which was a democratic system of Government. The role of the multilateral system was invaluable, both in the preparations for the 1992 elections and during the elections themselves. The UNDP, for example provided invaluable assistance in compiling the voters' list, in the training of polling officials and in the computerizing of the Elections Commission Office. The process of democratization resulted in the formation of a multi-party Elections Commission under an independent Chairman being in charge of the administrative conduct of elections in Guyana.
With the death of President Cheddi Jagan on March 6, 1997, his widow, Mrs Janet Jagan, was named the PPP/Civic's Presidential candidate. Mrs Jagan is a political figure in her own right and has served as Minister of Health and Minister of Home Affairs of Dr Jagan's first Government during the period, 1957 to 1964. Mrs Jagan also served as Guyana's acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations during the 48th Session of the UN General Assembly. More recently, after President Jagan's death, Mrs Jagan assumed the post of Prime Minister and First Vice President.
Nine other political parties contested the December 15 elections, with the main opposition Party being led by Desmond Hoyte. The run-up to the elections was peaceful. Guyana benefitted once again from the presence of international observers representing the Organization of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, the International Foundation of Electoral System (IFES) and the Guyana-based Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB).
Elections were held on Monday, December 15, 1997, and on Tuesday, December 30, 1997 the Elections Commission announced the official results. Of a total of 408,057 persons who voted, 399,310 were valid votes cast. The PPP/Civic won 220,667 (55.26 percent) of the votes cast while the PNC won 161,901 or (40.55 percent) of the votes cast.
Mr. Desmond Hoyte, Leader of the People's National Congress (PNC), has publicly declared that he will not accept the results of the elections and that he will make the country "ungovernable" by embarking on a civil disobedience campaign. His position is based on his claim that the elections were "rigged" and "fraudulent". Mr. Hoyte is yet to provide meaningful evidence to substantiate his claim.
Preliminary results based on counting of ballots at the place of poll indicated a PPP/Civic victory. The official count for all regions was unchallenged except for one region where faulty documentation delayed transmission of the results. There are ten administrative regions in Guyana.
In order to dispel doubts, the Chairman of the Elections Commission agreed to commence a verification process and invited all Parties which contested the Elections to participate in the process. Two attempts at verification were made, but this process was considerably delayed. This was largely due to the fact that the PNC walked out on both occasions from the verification exercise.
The PPP/Civic, throughout the count and verification process, had maintained an unassailable lead and a declaration under the Constitution was made, naming Mrs Jagan the Presidential winner. There is no provision for all the votes to be verified before a declaration is made as regards the winner.
Mr. Hoyte's PNC petitioned the Court to quash the Chairman's declaration of Mrs Jagan's winning of the Presidency.
After Mrs Jagan was sworn in as President of the Republic a Court Order was sought by the PNC to:(a) prohibit the Chancellor of the Judiciary from swearing in Mrs Jagan as President; and (b) prohibiting Mrs Jagan from assuming the Office of President and/or entering upon the duties of her office.
President Janet Jagan has since assumed office and named her new Cabinet. The Judicial challenge to her Presidency is pending in the High Court of Guyana. The Government's position on these matters is that they fall outside the purview of legal enquiry according to specific provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana.
Having witnessed the entire exercise beginning from the early hours of the morning on elections day including the counting of votes at the Polling Stations, when the exercise ended, the International Observers were all positive in their comments with respect to the conduct of the poll.
The Commonwealth Observer Group said that: "As a result of our observations on polling day, we concluded that the voters were freely able to express their will".
The Commonwealth Group went on to add that "We have noted that there are reports of dissatisfaction with the results. We know that there are provisions within the laws of Guyana for these issues to be resolved".
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) for its part complemented Guyana on what is described as an "honest, transparent, peaceful, orderly and professionally managed 1997 elections".
The Head of the delegation added that:"This was one of the very free elections we have observed in which there were no difficulties with the list".
The OAS in its initial comments on the results said that the "process was transparent". "What we have observed is that the actual voting process has been free and fair".
And the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) in an interim statement said it considered "the procedures employed at the polls as reflecting impartiality" and that "voting was done in a unrestricted manner, with the secrecy of the ballot not being compromised".
As regards the developments that followed with the close of the poll on the evening of December 15, the EAB described these developments as follows: " . . . there was an unbelievable breakdown in arrangements for the transmission of results. The same observation applies to the transportation of the Presiding Officers and their ballot boxes. Instructions for administering these arrangements appear to have been either altered, countermanded or in some cases were non-existent. Consequently, both the results and the actual ballot boxes did not reach the Commission's Office until some twelve hours or more after the count: (at the Polling Stations)".
It is precisely this situation that the PNC sought to exploit and made the unwarranted allegation of "elections rigging" in favor of the PPP/Civic thus impugning the integrity of the ballot boxes.
It is important to emphasize that the counting of the votes at the Polling Stations in the presence of foreign and local observes was critical to maintaining the integrity and purity of the electoral process and consequently to the PPP/Civic winning the majority of the votes cast. Further, the security of the ballot boxes was under the control of the Police Force. It is interesting to note that roughly 90 percent of the members of security forces, which include the Police, voted for the PNC. They had voted one week before the elections and their votes were counted separately.
The situation in the country is still very tense. In the meanwhile President Janet Jagan in an address to the Nation of December 23, 1996 has stated that "this is a time for the national leadership of this country to assess the situation and to act maturely. The resolution of differences and disagreements cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of tension". She called for a "cooling down of emotions".
President Jagan went on to state: "We must not let ourselves choke on a heavy dose of political hate. We must see reason and share the hope that there is no problem which cannot be set right through dialogue and tolerance. I am, and will remain, open to the process of dialogue. Without this we will achieve nothing except to prolong political polarization in Guyana."
The Government is very concerned about the adverse political and social consequences if tensions continue and recourse is had to conflict.
It is important to note that throughout the period the Security Forces have guaranteed the peace. In this regard, the Government has expressed its total confidence in the ability and preparedness of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force. And President Jagan has conveyed the nation's appreciation for the exemplary manner in which the Security Forces have conducted themselves and protected the citizens of Georgetown.
The Government of Guyana is deeply committed to the building of national unity, peace and stability. Accordingly, the Government of Guyana has agreed to a proposal from the Private Sector Commission that a firm of international standing be invited to conduct an audit of all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the elections. The Government has also accepted an offer from the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) to assist in the audit.
The Government of Guyana stands ready to discuss whatever diplomatic initiative that may be deemed appropriate within a bilateral and/or multilateral context that would seek to uphold the principles of preventive diplomacy, democracy, good governance and the rule of law.
The leader of The United Force, Manzoor Nadir, has publicly endorsed the final vote count declared by the Elections Commission on December 30. "We are accepting the results as declared. I want to say to all Guyanese, let us get on with moving our country towards the 21st century as a prosperous and progressive county," he told reporters at the announcement ceremony. He appealed to all Guyanese to accept the results and added, "I don't believe there was fraud in these elections. Fraud implies a set of people set out to deceive and to fix a situation to suit themselves. I don't believe there was fraud."
Nadir said that his reports for Regions Seven, Eight and Nine coincided with those announced by the commission. He extended congratulations to Singh, the workers of the commission and to Mrs Jagan on winning the presidency of Guyana.
I take this opportunity to wish all Guyanese and all our non-Guyanese friends a very happy, healthy and prosperous 1998.
Over the past year, the Guyana Embassy in Washington has tried its best to provide service for Guyanese and friends if Guyana by giving them necessary information on all aspects of Guyanese life. This service has been ensured by our hard-working staff, and through available Internet facilities. Every day, we receive e-mailed letters from Guyanese living in all parts of the world, and we do appreciate the kind words and the meaningful suggestions relayed to us.
As you may be aware, the Guyana Embassy in Washington is in the forefront of championing the cause of Guyana in the international arena. We participate in discussions with the International Financial Institutions, the Organization of American States and with officials of the US Government and Members of Congress on Capitol Hill. It is through these discussions that ideas developed by Guyana for a New Global Human Order are winning more and more interest and support in this hemisphere. To do all of this is indeed a challenging task, but we do have the determination and zeal to propagate and defend our ideas.
Guyanese living abroad do have a role to play as lobbyists for their homeland. In your own little way, you can tell your non-Guyanese friends of Guyana, and you can even go further by informing your local politicians, representatives and members of Congress of the needs and interests of Guyana. By doing so, you yourselves will be proving that you are worthwhile ambassadors of the country of your birth.
Happy New Year!
The PPP/Civic, while rejecting any claims that some Guyanese are being discriminated against, has unveiled a program to address the specific social and economic issues relating to Afro-Guyanese. The PPP/Civic, in a statement, declared: "The contribution of the Afro-Guyanese population to growth and development of Guyana is second to none..."
The program states that:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have agreed to support a debt reduction package for Guyana under the Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). The total assistance to be provided to Guyana by all of its external creditors will reduce the country's external debt burden by a quarter, US$253 million in Net Present Value (NPV) terms. This is estimated to translate into debt-service relief over time of close to US$500 million. The IMF and World Bank will provide assistance with an NPV value of US$35 million and US$27 million, respectively. In recognition of Guyana's exceptional achievements in implementing reform it was agreed that the completion point for the delivery of the debt reduction package will be one year from now in December 1998. This is an acceleration of the normal three-year waiting period under the HIPC Initiative.
The delivery of the debt reduction package from the IMF and World Bank is subject to confirmation from Guyana's other creditors that they will provide their share and satisfactory implementation of reforms agreed by the Government. The IMF will provide its assistance at the completion point in the form of a grant into an escrow account to be used to pay debt-service falling due to the
IMF. The World Bank will use the special HIPC Trust Fund, to which it has already contributed US$750 million, to purchase debts owed by Guyana to IDA. These debts will then be canceled.
The fiscal resources released will be used by the government to strengthen and broaden its social programs, especially in basic health and education.
Commenting on the announcement, Guyana's Minister of Finance Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said: "In a country where around 45 percent of total revenues is used to service debt, the news of the approval of this initiative for Guyana is welcome. Apart from the positive developmental impact that these additional resources will have, they will also enhance our capacity to reduce poverty, improve the access to and quality of education and health and accelerate civil service reforms. This approval is recognition of the progress that Guyana has made over the last several years. We thank the World Bank, the IMF, and other participating countries especially Trinidad and Tobago for their contribution in this debt relief initiative. This is good news for all Guyanese."
Guyana is the fourth country to benefit under the HIPC Debt Initiative.
For information on Guyana, INTERNET users may check the WEB SITE on GUYANA NEWS AND INFORMATION at: http://www.guyana.org. This site is also linked to other useful Guyana sites. The Embassy's E-mail addresses are GuyanaEmbassy@hotmail.com and Guyanaem@erols.com
Please Note that the Embassy Hours Will Be from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m until March 31, 1998
Embassy of the Republic of Guyana
2490 Tracy Place NW
Washington DC 20008
202-265-6900/FAX 202-232-1297
(After hours and holidays, FAX 301-365-9467)