'Lead this troubled, frightened society back to security'
-US Ambassador urges return to dialogue
Stabroek News
July 6, 2002
United States Ambassador to Guyana, Ronald Godard, is urging both major political parties to resume dialogue as early as possible in an effort to address the current crime wave in the country.
The US Government and others in the international community, he said, "stand ready to be of assistance to support Guyana's democracy."
In remarks on the occasion of the 226th anniversary of the independence of the USA at a reception he hosted at his Cummings Lodge residence on Thursday evening, Godard said the US government was urging the leaders of the two major parties to "lead this troubled, frightened society back to a sense of security through an early resumption of their political dialogue."
Present at the reception were President Bharrat Jagdeo who made brief remarks, PNC/R Leader Desmond Hoyte, regional leaders attending the Twenty-third Meeting of the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government, representatives of the business sector, academia and civil society.
Noting that the US government and the country's many other friends in the international community, "have observed with anguish the recent wave of criminal activity that has undermined public confidence in the established institutions of law and order," Godard said that the problem required the collaborative efforts of both major political parties with the active support of the leaders of other parties and civil society.
He reiterated that "a premise essential to the restoration of domestic peace is that there was no justification for criminal violence in a democratic society founded on the rule of law, just as there is no justification for political violence in a democracy."
Stating that the US government and the international community were ready to assist in preserving Guyana's democracy, Godard said that the US was already working with the Guyana Elections Commission and the Ministry of Local Government and other stakeholders to support efforts to enhance participation and strengthen Guyana's democratic institutions.
For the past year, he said, international security and the war on terrorism have, of necessity, been top priorities of the US government, but he added that both security and democracy depended on the economic well-being of citizens.
US, President George W. Bush, he said, had made it clear that the US recognised the need to put in place building blocks for a world in which all can enjoy economic prosperity.
But to enjoy economic prosperity, he said, political stability was the first building block and this made dialogue between the PPP/Civic and the PNC/R, to resolve the country's political impasse, even more crucial. The dialogue was suspended by the PNC/R several months ago.
To stimulate progress, Godard said, the 60% increase in core US assistance to developing countries was premised on the concept of democracy, good governance and open markets essential for economic development. However, he quoted Bush as saying that countries which will benefit will be those that "rule justly, invest in their people and advance economic freedom."
To support Guyana's commitment for good governance, the US government, Godard said, will assist the country to strengthen its judiciary and upgrade various functions to enhance good governance within the ministries.
In the area of economic cooperation, he said, the signing of the seventeenth bilateral agreement for PL-480 assistance to Guyana will provide some US$5 million in financing for basic infrastructure projects. This will pay for construction and repair of sea defences and other infrastructure improvements to open avenues for new investment.
Additionally, the US will continue a sizeable programme with Guyana's non-governmental organisations for providing food assistance to poor families in need.
Stating the he was proud of the fine work the US Peace Corps volunteers were doing in the country in the areas of health, education and information technology, Godard said that he had been discussing with Peace Corps, Washington the prospects of increasing the Peace Corps programme in Guyana and the prospects for expansion looked good.
He said that at present one of the most crucial areas in which the US was collaborating with Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean was through the Pan Caribbean partnership Against HIV/AIDS. The recent US/Caribbean conference in Georgetown at which US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, led the US delegation, he said, forged new ties for cooperation and joint action against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A result of that conference, Godard said, was that Guyana would be among those countries to benefit from a $500 million initiative to counter mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Also, to supplement USAID's AIDS education and prevention project with youth NGOs, the Centers for Disease Control will assign technical personnel to the US Mission in Guyana to work with the Ministry of Health on HIV/AIDS and other health issues.
Other areas of cooperation, he said, were in the fight against transnational drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, arms trafficking and money laundering. The US, he said, was prepared to increase its assistance in this area and the concern at present was that in the shifting patterns of the illicit narcotics trade, Guyana could become a major target for the expansion of drug trafficking activities. "Now is the time for us to act in concert to prevent this from happening," he said.