The Guyanese diaspora, not only in America, but globally is very grateful to former President Jimmy Carter and his Carter Center for the role played in helping to restore democratic governance in Guyana. A few activist Guyanese in USA, including this writer, Vishnu Bisram, lobbied then President Carter (1978-81) and after he left office to assist our struggle to put an end to human rights abuses in Guyana and restoration of democracy in the homeland.
Former US President (Jan 1977-Jan 1981) Jimmy Carter celebrated his birthday last week. Using cricket metaphor, we celebrate and cheer a century; it is quite an achievement. Living for a century is an even greater achievement as almost no cricketer ever achieved that feat. And locally, we cheer those who reach the milestone with only a handful Guyanese crossing that mark. The former American President is deserving of the highest praises and accolades not only for attaining a century, but more so for his domestic and international policy that changed socio-economic conditions for minorities in USA and for helping to democratize many authoritarian states including Guyana. The former President visited Guyana multiple times and his intervention helped to democratize the country in 1992 and the. Carter Center helped to rescue democracy that was floundering in 2020.
Some of the President’s achievements and his role in Guyana need mention. The younger Guyanese generation needs to know and those from the era of the struggle for democracy in Guyana need to be reminded of the very important role that Carter played in Guyanese history. Without Carter’s role (and his wife Roslyn was also at his side for all events and policies), Guyana may well have remained at a minimum a one party state with some semblance of democracy or even an authoritarian state as it was from 1966 till the restoration of democratic governance in October 1992. His presidency also set a trend of governance that provided some semblance of equality and increased rights in USA for minorities like Guyanese and other migrants.
In the US, Carter’s cabinet set the trend or precedent for racial inclusivity; Blacks and other minorities had a greater presence in his administration and began to be treated with some measure of respect in a historically racist society that was moving away from ‘Jim Crowism’ and ‘Klu Klux Klanism’. Carter was loved by Guyanese and other migrants who were happy to see the end of the Nixonian (Ford) era. During his presidency, there was a rush of Guyanese to America, including this writer who came to pursue tertiary education at a public university in 1977. Guyanese had hoped Carter or his Secretary of State would make a visit to Guyana and pressured the regime to democratize.
Human rights, racial equity, and democracy can be included in what was the ‘Carter Doctrine’; the first Black American to serve as US Ambassador at the UN, Andrew Young, was his appointee. He made human rights a center of his foreign policy. He enforced Civil Rights Acts. There was also recognition of and closer relations with China, the Panama Canal Treaties, the Camp David Accords, independence of (Rhodesia) Zimbabwe, pressure on apartheid South Africa to respect human rights, push back on communism, among others. There were also the Iranian crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that weakened his presidency. Guyanese politicians on both sides sided with Iran and the Soviets; that attitude led to a hardening of Washington position on communism and revolutions and the prolonging of the Guyanese authoritarian state. Carter, Ronald Reagan, and even Bush Sr. (in his initial years) lost interest in Guyana being transitioned into a democracy.
Some of Carter’s greatest achievements were in his post-Presidency as head of the Carter Center that he and his wife founded in which he helped to restore democracy in several Latin, African, and Caribbean countries, including our own Guyana. The former President played a most significant and important role in the 1992 and 2015 elections. Carter (and on a few occasions with his wife) visited Guyana multiple times. His first visit in 1991 set the stage for the return of free and fair elections after the last one being in colonial Guyana in December 1964. That visit was the result of President George Bush intervention that encouraged and funded a Carter visit to Guyana. Bush acted after several of us ( not the least Vassan Ramracha, Baytoram Ramharack, Ravi Dev, Rennie Ramracha, me, among others) appealed to him and to Congress to pressure the Guyana dictatorship transition to democratic governance. Several Guyanese in USA, including this writer lobbied the Bush presidency and prior to him the Reagan and Carter presidencies to pressure the Burnham and Hoyte dictatorships to end human rights abuses and restore democratic governance but of no avail. A few of us tried to convince Washington from 1977 thru 1990) with intense lobbying through a variety of means (including multiple trips to Washington DC) to help bring about political change in Guyana but without much success. Washington communicated clearly to us that it was not interested in replacing an opportunistic socialist with a hard core communist aligned with USSR. Things would change a decade later because of Carter’s connection with the Guyanese advocates of democracy in NY. He developed a soft spot because of our efforts to assist his re-election and our persistent appeals during the 1980s.
An Asian American fundraiser, coordinated by Yashpaul Soi was held in Manhattan for Carter’s re-election in 1980; a few Indian Guyanese were in attendance. Roslyn was the Chief Guest as the President had to campaign elsewhere. The President communicated his gratitude. Yashpaul and a few Guyanese (including late Hassan Rahman, Baytoram Ramharack, Ravi Dev, Ramesh Kalicharran, Vassan, Rennie, me and others) and our role in Global Org of People of Indian Origin would use the Carter connection to help set up an appointment for Cheddi Jagan to meet with the Carter Center in August 1989 while he was in NYC. Carter expressed concerns about fraudulent elections in Guyana and would become deeply involved in and supportive of the Guyanese diaspora struggle (in America) for FFE in Guyana. Guyanese groups in USA persisted with their lobbying of the Bush administration and Congress to pressure the Hoyte regime to democratize the country.
Communism collapsed and with it in 1990 the USSR that would help to usher in democracy in Guyana. It was reported that Presidents Bush and Gorbachev reached an agreement in which they would use their influence in Guyana and Nicaragua respectively to have both nations hold free and fair elections. Bush warned of consequences if democracy was not restored in Guyana including the holding of FFE. Our group lobbied Members of Congress, including Ted Kennedy, brother of President John who toppled Cheddi Jagan from office, also demanded FFE in Guyana. Ted and several other members of Congress who we lobbied issued strong statements calling for FFE in Guyana. Hoyte agreed to hold FFE u see international supervision. It was never publicly reported what role Gorbachev played in FFE in Nicaragua; communists never announced certain policies especially on matters pertaining to democracy. Carter was assigned the role of negotiator and arbitrator for free and fair elections in Guyana. Carter Center was closely involved in a variety of activities, including training and support to Gecom as well as to civil society organizations to monitor elections. Eventually, Carter also became ‘Chief Observer’ and ‘Chief Guarantor’ of FFE in both Nicaragua and Guyana and other states as well that were emerging out of authoritarian rule. And both nations held relatively free and fair elections. Since then, the Carter Center, the President himself, engaged leaders of Guyana to have inclusive government and constitutional reform in which no party or race dominate government.
The President’s recommendations on constitutional change, while praised by all parties, have been largely ignored by the two dominant political forces. Fortunately, the Carter’s formula still holds at Gecom in the appointment of the Chair who casts the tie-breaking vote (of 3-3); in fact, it was the Carter’s formula that helped to deter planned fraud in the 2020 elections. A incorrect appointment of chair in 2019 reached the CCJ. The CCJ ruled unanimously that the President’s appointment of a Chair must be selected from among nominees proposed by the Opposition Leader – that was the Carter’s formula. The political leaders of both sides need to examine other recommendations of Carter to promote peace, stability, and greater inclusive democracy in our country.
In both Nicaragua and Guyana, the incumbents were resistant to yielding power after defeats at the ballot box. Carter intervened in what was the first transition to a democratic transfer of power for both countries after a long period of dictatorial rule. Daniel Ortega eventually accepted defeat to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, wife of a newspaper publisher who was assassinated because of his advocacy of democracy in his homeland. His murder brings back memory of the assassination of journalist Father Bernard Darke who was murdered at an opposition rally in Georgetown that was championing democracy.
In Guyana, Carter’s life was threatened by mobs on election night and the day after. A prominent government official at the time was heard loudly telling a mob pelting projectiles at Gecom headquarter, “We ain’t listening to any White man about our election”. Attempts to rig the outcome were being derailed by Carter and other observers .
Carter warned of dire consequences if he was harmed; he was inside the building as fire raged outside in the streets. Back channel threats to the Hoyte regime were issued from Washington through diplomatic channels. Hoyte agreed to accept defeat. Hoyte sent the army to disperse the mob that burnt buildings, looted stores, and beat up a lot of people because they were considered supporters of the then opposition. The official, who didn’t want the white man to run a fair election, himself, had to seek shelter or face the grave consequences announced by Hoyte. Bullets were fired into the crowd to disperse.
Carter is credited for brokering a historic agreement that usher in a transition of power to Cheddi Jagan and restoration of full democratic governance (with some aspects of high-handed governance from both sides) that stands till this day. The same also happened earlier in Nicaragua. Cheddi would honor Carter with the highest national award.
Without Carter’s intervention, would democracy have been restored in Guyana and or protected in 2019/20? Without the lobbying of Guyanese in USA, would Bish have been forced to act in Guyana? Without the Guyanese connection in USA, would Carter have bee loved to act on rights violations and lack of democracy in Guyana?
Carter also came to Guyana to monitor the 2015 election but left on election day itself. There was a change in administration. The Carter Center was also deeply involved in the 2020 elections that also led to a change in administration. Whenever the Carter Center makes its presence felt in Guyana, there was political change and democracy seemingly was protected if not also strengthened.
