Dear Editor,
We assail Maduro of Venezuela for his political behaviour, calling him a dictator. And he is. He rigged elections to remain in office. He is extremely authoritarian. He has limited tolerance for dissent. Aside from the referendum relating to Guyana, he never consulted Venezuelans on any matter. He has been going after political opponents. Is the behavior of our ‘democratically’ elected rulers in Guyana any different from Maduro? Maduro, Irfaan, and Jagdeo are cut from the same cloth.
In March 2020, we elected a government, albeit it took five months for the election commission to declare a winner. Opponents of rigging rallied to protect democracy. After the new government was sworn in, democracy ended. Those who fought on the side of democracy were shunted aside. The government has not consulted with the population or the pro democracy activists on any issue. Critics are silenced.
Our government is very authoritarian. Independent voices are shut down. There is no respect for civil society or the independent media, not much different from Venezuela.
Maduro is one individual or a handful of persons in his administration. Our is also a two person administration. If we critique the government, trolls are hired to go after the critics. Independent analysts are victimized and some are accused of being treasonous for being in disagreement with the administration.
Many are calling for USA intervention to protect Guyana’s territorial sovereignty. We need Americans on our side. But the Americans must be guarantors of democracy. The Americans should not intervene on the border matter unless there is full democracy in Guyana; the Americans should not protect and empower two authoritarian figures who don’t consult with the opposition on any matter. The opposition and civil society should be given an equal say on how the country is governed.
Yours truly,
Sharmila Ally
