Though strong opposition has come from the APNU+AFC Coalition, former parliamentarian Charrandass Persaud successfully presented his Letter of Credence to President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday commencing his duties as High Commissioner of Guyana to India.
The accreditation ceremony took place virtually and also included the presentation of Letters of Credence from other incoming Ambassadors from Afghanistan, the Dominican Republic and Fiji.
According to media reports coming out of India, the President of India conveyed his good wishes to the envoys on their appointment noting that India appreciates the cordial relations it shares with the aforementioned countries. He also thanked the Governments of the countries for supporting India’s candidature for the non-permanent seat of UN Security Council for the term 2021-22 and committed to working along with them to combat COVID-19.
In turn, the Ambassadors and High Commissioners thanked the Government of India for their assistance over the years and for the recent provision of COVID-19 vaccines to their countries.
On February 4, 2021, Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon wrote to the Minister of External Affairs of India expressing his party’s strong non-support for the appointment of Persaud to the post.
Harmon said that his party has reason to believe that Persaud was coerced to cross the floor against the APNU+AFC in 2018 and that the plan to appoint him as Guyana’s High Commissioner to India will be seen as his reward. Harmon implied that India should refuse Persaud’s appointment on these grounds.
“…we are of the view that the appointment of Mr. Persaud to such an important portfolio is likely to be viewed by the Guyanese people as a reward for and an endorsement of his treasonous act. The people of Guyana have always enjoyed cordial relations with the government and people of India and we are concerned that Mr. Persaud’s appointment may place a significant strain on this important relationship,” Harmon stated.
However, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo did not respond favourably to this letter. On February 10, 2021, he accused the Opposition Leader of “threatening India” in his letter.
Even so, he confirmed that it was a “political” decision to appoint Persaud to the post made by his Administration. The Vice President put forward that in India and elsewhere MPs cross the floor to the opposing party regularly which is all a form of democracy.
In Guyana’s case, he stated that Persaud “voted conscience” which he has a right to do if he believes, as the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) does, that the APNU+AFC was damaging the country’s future.
He said: “Ambassadors can come from two streams. They can come from a political stream or a technical stream. So, in this case, he didn’t come out of the technical stream, he was appointed politically and so, that is the assessment. I’ve seen some Ambassadors who were less-equipped than Charrandass being made Ambassador.”
Persaud’s vote in favour of the no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC in 2018 was a turning point for the country and would lead to the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections, but not after a slew of Court battles climbing all the way up to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and seeking to deem the motion as invalidly passed. These were unsuccessful.
Many within the PPP/C now view Persaud as a “national hero” for putting an end to the leadership of the APNU+AFC. However, the Coalition believes that Persaud’s act was one of betrayal which halted the plans of the former Administration for the country.
