Sir Paul Reeves: Guyana needs to draw on selfless spirit of service
Guyana Chronicle
September 29, 2003
The Rotary Club of Georgetown held its monthly luncheon on September 24, at Le Meridien, Pegasus.
Guest speaker was Sir Paul Reeves, Commonwealth Secretary General, Paul Mc Kinnon's Special Envoy to Guyana, and his presentation was titled "Guyana and the Commonwealth: Working Together."
Here is the text of Sir Paul's presentation:
"I am honoured to be here. In particular I thank your President for the invitation to address the Georgetown Rotary Club. Throughout the world, Rotary is known for its principles and selfless spirit of service. It is a spirit Guyana needs to draw on at this critical time in its history. I hope my comments today will encourage you all as you seek to serve your country.
Over the past 14 months I have visited Guyana five times. For a New Zealander, the hardest part is actually getting here and I'm still a little travel weary. It takes two days to fly here, either through Miami or on this occasion, New York. But despite the distance, our two countries, share more than just a love of cricket, or cars that drive on the left hand side of the road. As members of the Commonwealth, we share respect for the rule of law, human rights, good governance, democracy and the dignity of humanity.
It is this set of core values which has sustained the people of Guyana in all the challenges and difficulties of recent years. It is this shared vision, which brings me to Guyana as a Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to work with you and your leaders. As a member of the Commonwealth family you are not alone, and when support is needed, you can with confidence turn to the Commonwealth family to help you move away from the travails of the past and again build and nurture those democratic values and institutions, which promote good governance and prosperity.
I am much encouraged by the various proposals now in the public domain addressing the issue of governance in Guyana. I am encouraged that the President and the Leader of the Opposition intend to address these issues in their ongoing dialogue. I congratulate them for their courage and leadership in breaking the impasse of recent years, and assure them of my support, and that of the Commonwealth as they seek to achieve the goals they have set.
The various proposals all express a deep yearning for participation in the structures of power. This requires thorough discussion and debate between all sides. I note that there is a healthy and vigorous debate on this very issue of governance. It is a debate which should involve all the key stakeholders of Guyana.
The Commonwealth stands for democratic governance as the best guarantee for human dignity; the rule of law underpinned by an independent judiciary as a guarantee of justice for all; an equitable stake in global relations; and the empowerment of the individual to live his or her life with equity and justice.
These are core values championed by the Commonwealth family of which Guyana is a valuable and active member. I have no doubt that these values will again be reaffirmed and reinforced by the Commonwealth Heads of Government when they meet in Abuja, Nigeria, for their biennial summit this December. Good governance and democracy are essential preconditions to development and indeed this has become the theme for this year's summit in Abuja.
This is why oversight institutions are so important. They provide the necessary checks and balances for a functioning democracy. The Commonwealth Secretary-General is a staunch advocate of well-resourced and independent oversight institutions within member countries of the Commonwealth family.
The monitoring of government performance is the responsibility of the legislature and in particular Parliamentarians must hold the executive arm of government accountable for its actions. Beyond that the Auditor General has to ensure the financial accountability of the executive. However, independent oversight bodies can also be a check on government. Indeed, if the proper oversight bodies are not in place, the interlocked mechanism of democracy is threatened.
There is no universal rule defining how many oversight institutions there should be, what remit they should be given, what powers they should have. The Commonwealth recognizes that every society is unique and needs democratic institutions adopted to its own circumstances, history and culture.
Transparency is one of the cardinal virtues of good government. An effective Freedom of Information Act enables the public to gain access to information about executive decisions.
Similarly the Human Rights Commissioner ensures that equal opportunity legislation is respected and citizens are protected from discrimination.
A strong, independent, well qualified and well respected judiciary is another integral component of a healthy democratic system.
The Electoral Commission, the Attorney General, the Ombudsman and Governor of the Central Bank also have a crucial role to play in holding the government and the public service accountable for their actions. But in itemizing these elements, I pay tribute to the Office of the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee which has remained a symbol of national prudence and shows the possibilities of good political collaboration. I acknowledge too the foresight of the drafters of the revised constitution for building into it a strong oversight element in the sectoral committees of parliament.
There are two conditions for effective oversight institutions:
they must be independent, since their success ultimately depends on public support; and, they must be endowed with real powers, and the capacity and financial resources to carry out their mandate.
The oversight bodies I have briefly described are some of the building blocks that make an effective democracy. A healthy democracy is also based on a relationship of trust between the government and the people. Oversight in institutions are there to make sure that government remain worthy of the trust the citizens have placed in them.
In an age when electoral apathy and cynicism about politics are serious threats in many Commonwealth democracies, this function is very important. Oversight bodies act as safeguards against political disillusionment.
The Commonwealth recognizes the central role played by these oversight institutions and is committed through its technical assistance programmes to strengthening them in all its member countries.
The Commonwealth also recognizes that for a democracy to be successful, it is not enough to have the right political institutions and the right balance of power between them. We also need these institutions to be rooted in a shared democratic culture.
On polling day citizens can exercise their democratic right to vote for their preferred representatives. But this is just one aspect of democracy. Democratic practices need to be at the heart of public life and shape every decision affecting the life of the community.
This is why the Commonwealth Secretariat has over the years run a series of seminars on Deepening Democracy, the aim being to help member countries make democracy as real and as deep as possible. The Commonwealth can still provide such assistance to Guyana in these areas and in close collaboration with other donor organizations.
Challenges in Guyana
We are all too aware of the challenges facing Guyana. The effects of globalization, the debt burden, crime and poverty only place an added burden on a limited human resource weakened by sustained emigration. I understand that in a recent poll of young people, 47% of those polled expected to leave Guyana some time in the next five years. For ordinary people the current crime and violence means that Guyana is insecure. The challenge is to make Guyana a country where the young want to stay, where they see opportunity, where they can, in the words of the UN Charter, enjoy "Better standards of life in larger freedom".
Central to this are issues of governance. The struggle to reconcile political perspectives in Guyana has never been easy. Over the years divisions have arisen yet at the same time good things have happened. National leaders have persevered even though their efforts have been beset by difficulties.
But who could say that Guyana has not made progress over the years? Since the signing of the Hermandston Accord and the Saint Lucia Statement in 1998 some important developments have taken place. The May 2003 Communiqué, the follow up agreement in June and the recent 16-point accord issued following the President and Mr. Corbin's meeting last week have moved the country further along the democratic path. These are positive signs and we must continue to encourage and provide support to this process.
I pay tribute to President Jagdeo and Mr. Robert Corbin, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Together with their representatives they have a difficult task and deserve encouragement and support. Nation building is a long and unending journey, and begins with working relationships that endure. In national as in our daily lives, nothing remains fixed forever. Unity is a continuous process of discovery and enrichment. It takes determination. Progress in a multi ethnic society is achieved when difference and diversity are seen not as sources of division and distrust but of strength and inspiration.
I repeat that building trust is absolutely critical. It will require an abundance of patience, good will and understanding among the elected politicians and among all the citizens of Guyana. It will require the nurturing of spiritual and human values, which sustain people in need and help them adapt to rapid change. It will require building on the already considerable human and material resources available to this country.
People who can trust each other will learn to face an uncertain future together. Ultimately goodwill and continuous good faith dialogue can be translated into policies and programmes for the betterment of Guyana.
In Westminster-type democracies, representatives are elected by the people and remain accountable to the people. There is an essential role for political parties and a clear understanding that the Government must command the support of a majority in the parliament.
The development and refinement of democratic governance is an ongoing process for which you have a Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reform. A good place to start would be to publish the Constitution of Guyana as soon as possible so that it is a publicly accessible document.
I recognize that the constitution of this country is under review. May I suggest that the process of consultation and consensus building needs to be strengthened. Innovative ways to better reflect the will of society in Parliament need to be found. There are people and organizations in Guyana with expertise on such issues as health, education and the economy. Could they not be co-opted on parliamentary committees? I would urge parliament to provide the criteria for such participation.
My understanding is that the electoral system used for the 2001 elections was intended for those elections only. So what system will be used for the election of 2006?
The Commonwealth Observer Group to the General and Regional Elections of 2001 in their report recommended the adoption of a system that reflects the will of the people without fostering ethnic divisions in a winner-takes-all system.
And equally urgent, regulatory and administrative mechanisms for conducting an election must meet the highest standards of independence and authority.
I speak as a visitor and I am aware that these are matters for the people of Guyana. But in summary, you would be well served if you could modernize the political culture and the instruments of governance empower parliament as the supreme expression of the will of the people while conceding to the executive the political space needed to exercise its authority institute a regime for the separation of powers as a fundamental constraint against the abuse of power invest in the Electoral Commission the confidence, adequate resources, and the independence and authority it needs.
The task is to build stronger foundations for stable, equitable and fair governance in this country. Guyana has had a challenging political history but you are all Guyanese and you belong to one nation. There is no alternative to being united in service of your country. This is the basis of a common identity.
I have no doubt that the people of Guyana are yearning to move forward as a nation that is united in its goals and purposes and forward looking as it addresses the challenges ahead.
The ongoing dialogue between the President and Mr. Corbin based on the May 6 Communiqué and subsequent agreements must be sustained and strengthened. The Commonwealth, in close collaboration with other international and donor organizations remains ready to assist in the implementation of these agreements as required. This is particularly so in the provision of support and advice to democratic institutions such the Electoral Commission, the Parliament, the Judiciary, the Human Rights Commission and so forth. The Commonwealth works hard in this area and is able to draw on the experience of members states, many of which have faced situations similar to Guyana's.
Much has happened in the past year to strengthen democracy in Guyana. Much more remains to be done. I have faith in the people of Guyana and your capacity to accomplish even more and to forge ahead towards an auspicious future. In this task Guyana can continue to count on the support and good will of the Commonwealth and its friends, both regionally and internationally.