Canada and rest of international community must act now to save Guyana

Dear Editor,

The Guyana-Canada Business & Professional Corporation (GCBPC) calls upon the Canadian Government to immediately suspend all economic and financial relations with Guyana until a democratically elected Presi-dent and Government are installed in Guyana.

The GCBPC joins the call of local and international election observers and all democracy-respecting people in Guyana, Canada and around the world to allow fair and free election results in Guyana. All interested parties, except the incumbent Govern-ment, have opined that the current process being conducted by GECOM is not credible. GECOM and its political directors from the incumbent APNU+AFC, backed by the Guyana Police Force, are actively conducting the blatant and crude rigging of the elections to keep the incumbent in power.

The country’s economy is already stymied by the protracted and deliberate delay by these defectors from democracy. They must be held accountable for their actions. Canada and the rest of the international community must act now to save Guyana. They cannot allow another pariah state to exist next to Venezuela. The United States and the rest of the democratic countries of the Organization of American States will have to contend with the axis of evil in their own backyard.

The GCBPC supports immediate sanctions against those responsible for the current crisis in Guyana. It is calling on the

United States, Canada, the UK, members of the EU and CARICOM countries to impose travel bans on the culprits, their families and other cohorts. Their assets abroad should be frozen. Ultimately, they should be brought before the proper legal authorities to account for their illegal actions that have national, regional and international ramifications.

The democracy defectors ought to take note that they will not benefit from Guyana’s impending oil wealth. ExxonMobil and other American companies operating in Guyana are subject to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). These companies will be advised to withhold any payments to the undemocratic and corrupt Government or face financial and criminal consequences under the FCPA. Similar legislative and regulatory regimes are in place in Canada and elsewhere. Funds belonging to Guyana will not be remitted to the illegal regime but will be held in escrow until a legitimate Govern-ment is installed.

Undemocratic governments undermine the economic well-being of its people and this cannot be tolerated.

The democracy defectors still have time to redeem themselves and let democracy prevail.

Yours faithfully,

Tameshwar N Lilmohan

President: Guyana-Canada

Business & Professional

Corporation

Toronto, Canada