Guyana’s Democratic gains under threat – British High Commissioner

By Tracey Khan – Drakes

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Democratic gains in Guyana are under threat, according to British High Commissioner to Guyana, Andrew Ayre, who last evening (June, 10) celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday anniversary at his residence in Georgetown.

The High Commissioner noted that the decision not to host Local Government Elections is a stain on Guyana’s International standing and a breach of Guyana’s Constitution. The High Commissioner said the reason given is a clear breach on the Commonwealth charter.

The United Kingdom reiterated its call on Government to deliver now, what it was suppose to do every three years and highlighted that this was in the manifestos of all three political parties ahead of the 2011 elections.

The High Commissioner said Guyana is at a pivotal moment in its history and its likely blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) may reverse many of the hard-won gains. He is of the view that the action by the FATF can still be avoided.

Further, High Commissioner Ayre said the UK, United States and Canadian partners have been working hard over the past 18 months to assist by way of training and mentoring. He questioned why the work has not been completed and called on political parties to adopt, without further delay, the revised AML/CFT Bill. He said the time for playing politics was over months ago.

Despite the challenges, he expressed optimism about Guyana’s future and the UK’s role in this regard, noting that Guyana has enormous potential. He noted that the key to Guyana’s development is to provide the conditions required to retain its talent, rather than have it developed and enriched elsewhere.