A United States delegation of elected officials from several States will arrive in Georgetown, Guyana, on Monday, November 13, 2023, on a fact-finding mission.
The team will comprise State Assembly members and Senators from Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well as leading education, legal and civil rights experts.
The delegation will investigate allegations of extrajudicial killings and racial discrimination against African Guyanese and other citizens who do not support Guyana’s ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government. Guyana’s Demerara Waves news on January 28, 2018, reported that over one thousand extra judicial killings of Black citizens remained uninvestigated.
The extrajudicial killings were allegedly carried out by Guyana’s security forces and death squads under the direction of the current and previous PPP government. It is the view of many that Bharrat Jagdeo, now Vice President, bears responsibility for the majority of accusations. Hundreds of the killings took place during his tenure as President of Guyana from 1999 to 2021. The US government previously condemned Jagdeo and his government for the killings.
The delegation issued a statement Friday saying the mission is to “Promote Bilateral Relations and Address Concerns of Discrimination.” The mission is from November 13 to November 19, 2023. The team said it hopes to “engage in constructive dialogue with various leaders, community groups, business owners and Guyanese citizens.”
“As stated in a previous press statement on Thursday October 26, 2023, the delegation to be led by the Honorable Dee Dawkins-Haigler and her co-leader Rep John King (SC), is concerned about allegations of discrimination towards certain ethnic groups in Guyana as well as Guyanese-American citizens currently residing in and out of Guyana,” the statement added.
The team said that it has seen presentations made by Members of Parliament, Mr. Roysdale Forde S.C., Mr. David Patterson, Mrs. Dawn Hastings-Williams and Mrs. Catherine Hughes, made at the Washington Conference on Guyana, which took place in Washington last September.
The group also considered the troubling allegations outlined by the leadership of a large section of the Guyanese populace in a letter to US Vice President Kamala Harris and the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). A public missive by Mr. Roysdale Forde S.C.,M.P (Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs in the Guyanese Legislature) which was published in the Kaieteur News; as well as calls for a Fact-Finding mission to assess allegations of discrimination, marginalization and displacement were also noted by the delegation.
Dee Dawkins-Haigler said the allegations have been vehemently denied by President Irfan Ali and the PPP government who have provided numerous reports, documents and articles to counter the claims. She noted that the President further purported that the allegations have no merit and are fueled with lies by disgruntled individuals who are trying to create chaos.
The letter to Vice President Kamala Harris and the CBC was signed by over eight Political, Private Sector, Civil Society, Business, Religious and Union leaders and was an indictment of the PPP government.
The Ali government has come under withering criticism for alleged racist policies and practices that discriminate against the African Guyanese population. The government stands accused of using African Guyanese members of the ruling PPP and its regime, like the Police Commissioner, to execute a vendetta campaign against Blacks and others who do not support the PPP.
The government has also been using Cybercrime laws and the Guyana Police Force to suppress dissent and freedom of speech.
Several high-ranking US officials have called for inclusion in Guyana. Both Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have called for an inclusive democracy and inclusive growth.
Democratic Leader in the US House of Representatives, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries previously blasted the PPP government over allegations of racial discrimination. He made it clear that the US will not tolerate racism in Guyana. New York State Attorney General Letitia James made similar comments. Several Members of Congress have also called on the government to end racism against African Guyanese and promote inclusivity, including Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson and New York Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, first Vice Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Last September a team from the government rushed off to Washington and met with US officials and Members of Congress ahead of the remarkable Washington Conference on Guyana, which brought the allegations of racial discrimination to the doorstep of Congress and the White House.
The delegation said it intends to use the insights gained from all of the available information to inform and guide its discussions with relevant leaders in Congress and the White House upon their return to the United States. The group said it also plans to advocate for positive change and promote inclusivity and equality at both national and international levels.
The delegation said it has requested meetings with President Irfaan Ali and a team from the PPP government, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton – Leader of the Ali-Jagdeo for Change, Khemraj Ramjatan, Mrs. Dawn Hastings-Williams – General Secretary of the People’s National Congress, and several other civil society leaders. They also plan to meet with newly appointed US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot.
The delegation will comprise:
The Honorable Dr. Dee Dawkins-Haigler President/CEO, Organization of World Leaders Former Chair, Georgia Legislative Black Caucus
- The Honorable John Richard Christopher King South Carolina House of Representatives Former Chair, SC Legislative Black Caucus;
- The Honorable Dr. Amber M. Baker North Carolina General Assembly Member, Appropriations & Commerce Committees;
- The Honorable Debra Bazemore Georgia House of Representatives Minority Caucus Chief Deputy Whip;
- The Honorable Hillman T. Frazier State of Mississippi Senate Chair, Senate Interstate and Federal Cooperation Committee;
- The Honorable Rhetta Bowers Texas House of Representatives Member, Criminal Jurisprudence, Homeland Security & Public Safety Committees;
- The Honorable G.A Hardaway Tennessee House of Representatives Former Chair, TN Legislative Black Caucus;
- The Honorable Annie E. McDaniel South Carolina House of Representatives
Vice Chair, Operations and Management Committee;
- The Honorable Gerald Neal State of Kentucky Senate Minority Floor Leader;
- The Honorable Dr. Michael Rhett Georgia State Senate Member, Finance & Judiciary Committees;
- Mr. Marcus Coleman Founder and CEO, Save OurSelves (SOS) Human Rights Activist;
- Dr. DeAndre S. Pickett Principal Consultant, 357 Education Group Educational & Social Justice Advocate Civic Leaders
- Mr. Latron Price Managing Operator/Co-Owner, Westside Community Market, LLC
