President Carter, Guyanese, and Guyana

Oct 07, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Former US President (Jan 1977-Jan 1981) 1981 Jimmy Carter celebrated his birthday last week. Using cricket metaphor, we celebrate and cheer a century; it is quite an achievement. Living for a century is an even greater achievement as almost cricketer ever achieved that feat. And locally, we cheer those who reach the milestone.

The former American President is deserving of the highest praises and accolades not only for attaining a century, but more so for his domestic and international policy that changed socio-economic conditions for minorities in USA and helped to democratize many authoritarian states including Guyana. The former President visited Guyana multiple times and his intervention helped to democratize the country in 1992.

Some of the President’s achievements and his role in Guyana need mention. The younger Guyanese generation needs to know and those from the era of the struggle for democracy in Guyana need to be reminded of the very important role that President carter played in Guyanese history. Without Carter’s role (and his wife Roslyn was also at his side for all events and policies), Guyana may well have remained at a minimum of a one-party state with some semblance of democracy or even an authoritarian state as it was from 1966 till the restoration of democratic governance in October 1992. His presidency also set a trend of governance that provided some semblance of equality and increased rights in USA for minorities like Guyanese and other migrants.

In the US, Carter’s cabinet set the trend or precedent for racial inclusivity; Blacks and other minorities had a greater presence in his administration and began to be treated with some measure of respect in a historically racist society that was moving away from ‘Jim Crowism’ and ‘Klu Klux Klanism’. He was loved by Guyanese and other migrants who were happy to see the end of the Nixonian (Forde) era. During his presidency, there was a rush of Guyanese to America, including this writer who came to pursue tertiary education at a public university.

Human rights and democracy can be included in what was the ‘Carter Doctrine’; the first Black American to serve as US Ambassador at the UN, Andrew Young, was his appointee. There was also recognition of and closer relations with China, the Panama Canal Treaties, the Camp David Accords, independence of (Rhodesia) Zimbabwe, pressure on apartheid South Africa to respect human rights, push back on communism, among others. There were also the Iranian crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that weakened his presidency. Guyanese politicians on both sides sided with Iran and the Soviets; that attitude led to a hardening of Washington position on communism and revolutions and the prolonging of the Guyanese authoritarian state. Carter, Ronald Reagan, and even Bush Sr. (in his initial years) lost interest in Guyana being transitioned into a democracy.

Some of Carter’s greatest achievements were in his post-Presidency as head of the Carter Center that he and his wife founded in which he helped to restore democracy in several Latin, African, and Caribbean countries, including our own Guyana. The former President played a most significant and important role in the 1992 and 2015 elections. Carter (and on a few occasions with his wife) visited Guyana multiple times. His first visit in 1991 set the stage for the return of free and fair elections after the last one being in colonial Guyana in December 1964.  Several Guyanese in USA, including this writer lobbied the Bush presidency and prior to him the Reagan and Carter presidencies to pressure the Burnham and Hoyte dictatorships to end human rights abuses and restore democratic governance but of no avail. A few of us tried to convince Washington with intense lobbying through a variety of means (including multiple trips to DC) to help bring about political change in Guyana but without much success. Washington communicated clearly to us that it was not interested in replacing an opportunistic socialist with a hard-core communist aligned with USSR. Things would change a decade later because of Carter’s connection with the Guyanese advocates of democracy in NY.

An Asian American fundraiser, coordinated by Yashpaul Soi was held in Manhattan for Carter’s re-election in 1980; a few Indian Guyanese were in attendance. Roslyn was the Chief Guest as the President had to campaign elsewhere.  The President communicated his gratitude. Yashpaul and a few Guyanese (including the late Hassan Rahman, Baytoram Ramharack, Ravi Dev, Ramesh Kalicharran, me and others) and our role in Global Org of People of Indian Origin would use the Carter connection to help set up an appointment for Cheddi Jagan to meet with the Carter Center in August 1989. The former President Carter expressed concerns about fraudulent elections in Guyana and would become deeply involved in and supportive of the Guyanese diaspora struggle (in America) for FFE in Guyana. Guyanese groups in USA persisted with their lobbying of the Bush administration and Congress to pressure the Hoyte regime to democratize the country.

Communism collapsed and with it the USSR that would help to usher in democracy in Guyana. It was reported that Presidents Bush and Gorbachev reached an agreement in which they would use their influence in Guyana and Nicaragua respectively to have both nations hold free and fair elections. Bush warned of consequences if democracy was not restored in Guyana including the holding of FFE. Our group lobbied Members of Congress, including Ted Kennedy, brother of President John who toppled Cheddi Jagan from office, also demanded FFE in Guyana. It was never publicly reported what role Gorbachev played in FFE in Nicaragua; communists never announced certain policies especially on matters pertaining to democracy. Carter was assigned the role of negotiator and arbitrator for free and fair elections in Guyana. Carter Center was closely involved in a variety of activities, including training and support to GECOM as well as to civil society organizations to monitor elections. Eventually, Carter also became ‘Chief Observer’ and ‘Chief Guarantor’ of FFE in both Nicaragua and Guyana and other states as well that were emerging out of authoritarian rule. And both nations held relatively free and fair elections. Since then, the Carter Center, the President himself, engaged leaders of Guyana to have inclusive government and constitutional reform in which no party or race dominate government.

The President’s recommendations, while praised by all parties, have been largely ignored by the two dominant political forces. Fortunately, the Carter’s formula still holds at GECOM in the appointment of the Chair who casts the tie-breaking vote (of 3-3); in fact, it was the Carter’s formula that helped to deter planned fraud in the 2020 elections. The CCJ ruled unanimously that the President’s appointment of a Chair must come from among the nominees proposed by the Opposition Leader – that was the Carter’s formula. The political leaders of both sides need to examine other recommendations of Carter to promote peace, stability, and greater inclusive democracy.

In both Nicaragua and Guyana, the incumbents were resistant to yielding power after defeats at the ballot box. Carter intervened in what was the first transition to a democratic transfer of power for both countries after a long period of dictatorial rule. Daniel Ortega eventually accepted defeat to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, wife of a newspaper publisher who was assassinated because of his advocacy of democracy in his homeland. His murder brings back memory of the assassination of journalist Father Bernard Darke who was murdered at an opposition rally in Georgetown that was championing democracy.

In Guyana, Carter’s life was threatened by mobs on election night and the day after. A prominent government official at the time was heard loudly telling a mob pelting projectile at GECOM headquarter, “We ain’t listening to any White man about our election”. Attempts to rig the outcome were being derailed. Carter warned of consequences if he was harmed; back channel threats were issued from Washington through diplomatic circles. Hoyte agreed to accept defeat. Hoyte sent the army to disperse the mob that burnt buildings, looted stores, and beat up a lot of people. The official, who didn’t want the white man to run a fair election, himself had to seek shelter or face the consequences announced by Hoyte. Carter is credited for brokering an agreement that usher in a transition of power to Cheddi Jagan and restoration of full democratic governance (with some aspects of high-handed governance from both sides) that stands till this day. Cheddi would honour Carter with the highest national award. Without Carter’s intervention, would democracy have been restored in Guyana and or protected in 2019/20? Carter also came to Guyana to monitor the 2015 election but left on election day itself. There was a change in administration. The Carter Center was also deeply involved in the 2020 elections that also led to a change in administration. Whenever the Carter Center makes its presence felt in Guyana, there was political change and democracy was strengthened.

(President Carter, Guyanese, and Guyana)

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram 

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• Birthday, Former US President, Jimmy Carter, Letters

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