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Earlier this week Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd, in a presentation to the Organisation of American States (OAS) called on participating member-states to work for “consensus building.” The OAS was established to achieve “an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.” Any of those participating who has not paid attention to Guyana’s politics, and more particularly the emerging politics of President Irfaan Ali, would think Guyana is a model country of what it asked of the organisation. Those who have followed the President’s recent excuses not to engage the Leader of the Opposition were probably floored at the barefaced hypocrisy of the Minister.
A basic principle of international relations, particularly if a country wants to set a standard, is that the country must be prepared to lead by example. The Ali administration continues to demonstrate an absence of interest in doing so. From the refusal to consult with the First Peoples in renaming the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. Criticism of the high handedness by leaders in the Indigenous community saw a government rather than revert to the preferred name deciding the ministry will be named what they want. Apparently, it matters not the community does not like the name and sees it as demeaning, similar to Indians view being called coolie and Africans being called nigger.
Consensus as defined by the online Oxford dictionary means “general agreement.” Building this means working together to arrive at an agreement. The squatters in Success, East Coast Demerara were not allowed to engage in consensus building with the government, the Guyana Sugar Corporation and NICIL before the lands they occupied were flooded. There was no consensus moving them to live in the hall of a school, not knowing when they will be kicked out or find a place to live. The instances of absence of consensus building by the government are numerous.
Instructively, even as the Constitution of Guyana requires engagement between the President and Leader of the Opposition, the former has repeatedly stated he will not meet the latter until the latter does what the former requests. It requires working together in Guyana, as it is with other societies, to arrive at consensus to minimise conflict and achieve holistic development. Consensus is pivotal to de-escalating ethnic tension and divisions and building harmony among the peoples.
Here in Guyana race plays a major role in influencing politics and government’s distribution of goods and services. It is therefore reasonable to expect the President, the most senior political office here, to value the importance of building consensus between and among groups. This means facilitating engagement between and among leaders as happens at the OAS.
It cannot be ignored that while the government saw it prudent to commend the OAS for the role it played in the Guyana elections, fellow member-states would have remembered a similar role in the Bolivia election. It was the OAS railroading in 2019 and shouts of electoral fraud that forced then President Evo Morales out of office. This resulted in the installation of an interim government that had the support of the United States, including efforts to delay a new election. That election, which was finally held on Sunday, 18th October, saw Morales’ party returning to office.
Critical minds wonder if the consensus building the Government of Guyana was asking the OAS for has to do with removing government not respecting the true will of the people. That aside, the truism that charity starts at home still holds sway. If the government desires consensus building among stakeholders based on the OAS charter, to be taken seriously at the regional and international stages, the government must first practice what it preaches to members.
It is simply not sufficient to have a foreign policy driven by sound bites and stultified arrogance and expect respect in the hallowed halls of the international institutions. President Ali adopts a similar attitude as his Foreign Minister. At a recent meeting with the United Nations as the president sought to lecture the body on COVID-19, imploring what should be done by member-states he ignores his administration’s failure to implement said policy for the citizens. Without consistency a country cannot earn the respect and confidence of fellow nations.
