The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has paid lobbyists maintaining an almost daily presence on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to advance its account of developments in Guyana, while opposition and civil society groups face financial constraints in presenting alternative perspectives internationally.
This was disclosed by Vincent Alexander, chairman of the International Decade of People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G), during an appearance on Monday night’s Politics 101 programme hosted by Dr David Hinds.
Alexander, who recently travelled to the United States for engagements with international organisations and influential figures, said discussions in Washington highlighted the extent to which the Government’s position is being presented to American lawmakers.
Recounting a meeting with the office of Congressman Jonathan Jackson, son of the late civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Alexander said the delegation was advised that opposition representatives needed to establish a more consistent presence in Washington.
“The government has lobbyists, paid lobbyists, who literally live on the Hill. They are there virtually every single day, so that the story from the PPP’s perspective is being told on the Hill almost on a daily basis at the expense of the Guyanese taxpayers,” Alexander recounted.
He said the advice was that opposition representatives would have to find a way to maintain a comparable presence if they hoped to counter the Government’s narrative. However, he acknowledged that doing so would require substantial financial resources.
Sustained international engagement requires funding
Dr Hinds said influencing American policy and public understanding of Guyana requires engagement beyond federal lawmakers. He identified opportunities for outreach to state and county authorities, legislatures, the Congressional Black Caucus, individual members of Congress and senators.
Such engagement, he noted, requires sustained organisation and funding.
The discussion followed concerns raised by younger commentators about whether Guyanese civil society organisations and political parties were doing enough to bring developments in the country to international attention.
Hinds said representations were being made regularly, identifying IDPADA-G as one of the organisations involved, while also pointing to the advocacy work of Rickford Burke among African-American elected officials.
Alexander outlined several engagements during his recent US visit, including activities surrounding the United Nations General Assembly and a meeting of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent.
He said presentations by the forum’s chairman and the UN Secretary-General addressed the historical struggle for reparations and the objectives of the Durban Declaration. He subsequently arranged for the presentations to be shared with IDPADA-G members to strengthen their understanding and advocacy.
In Washington, Alexander also met the American representative on the Permanent Forum at Howard University, engaged The Informer, an Afrocentric newspaper, and appeared on a Caribbean radio programme. He said The Informer later published an article following its engagement with him and IDPADA-G Chief Executive Officer Olive Sampson.
Dispute over reparations and ancestral land rights
Beyond the lobbying issue, Alexander raised concerns about the Government’s position on reparations and ancestral land rights in submissions to United Nations bodies.
He said the Government had submitted a document to the upcoming session of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, arguing that internal reparations were unnecessary because people of African descent in Guyana enjoyed equal opportunities.
Alexander rejected that position, arguing that it failed to account for the continuing disadvantages arising from slavery, the post-slavery period and developments after independence.
He said IDPADA-G would submit its own position, with particular emphasis on ancestral lands and the rights of African Guyanese to those lands.
Alexander specifically challenged the Government’s explanation for the removal of African Guyanese from lands at Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara. He said the Government’s submission attributed the acquisition of the properties to the construction of the Heroes Highway, but disputed that explanation.
“There could be nothing more blatant than that in terms of a lie,” Alexander said.
He argued that the highway did not run through the disputed properties but was adjacent to them, adding that the lands had not been used for the highway and remained unoccupied.
His comments reflect IDPADA-G’s challenge to the Government’s account of the land issue. The Government’s position and any response to Alexander’s allegations were not included in the programme information provided.
IDPADA-G plans further UN engagement
Alexander disclosed that the 39th session of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent is scheduled for November 30 to December 3 in New York, and said he intends to attend.
He said IDPADA-G had previously sought to participate in international forums in Geneva and New York, including during the period when the organisation received a parliamentary subvention. It has continued to find ways to finance its participation since that support was withdrawn.
The upcoming session, Alexander said, will provide another opportunity to challenge the Government’s position on reparations and bring ancestral land rights before the international community.
His remarks underscore the growing importance of international advocacy in the Guyanese political debate, while highlighting the financial imbalance he says exists between the Government’s lobbying operation and the resources available to opposition and civil society groups seeking to present alternative accounts of the country’s affairs.
