Gov’t committed to strengthening democracy, ensuring equity

-Ali tells US summit

President Irfaan Ali on Friday said his government is fully committed to strengthening the foundations and pillars of democracy to ensure the will of the electorate is upheld in free, fair, and transparent elections, and that the independence of the judiciary is maintained.

Addressing the virtual Summit for Democracy, hosted by United States President Joe Biden, Ali also said Guyana has “firmly embarked” on a course to ensure that adherence to democracy and the rule of law is aligned with economic and social progress in conditions of non-discrimination, equity, and equal opportunities.

In his address, Ali said democratic enhancement and renewal require global effort that takes full account of the multidimensional aspects of democracy, including the provision of conditions for economic progress.

Noting that Guyana is on the cusp of an economic transformation, having become an oil and gas producing nation, he said it is devoted to the ambition of empowering prosperity for every citizen and to achieving this within a framework of democracy.

“After our experience of the repression of freedoms, attempted last year, we are determined to build economic progress and social improvement on the foundation of respect for human and political rights and freedom of expression,” he said, after referencing the attempts to rig the results of the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

Ali added that Guyana witnessed an attempt to steal presidential and regional elections that delayed the declaration of a credible result for five long and agonising months. He said it was only the vigilance of the Guyanese people, supported by a watchful international community, that prevented Guyana from being plunged into a dictatorship with all its disastrous consequences.

“This is why the Government of Guyana is fully committed to strengthening the foundations and pillars of democracy to ensure that, at all times in the future, the will of the electorate is upheld in free, fair, and transparent elections, and that the independence of the judiciary is maintained,” he affirmed.

He added that as the government strengthens the foundation of democracy in Guyana, it will similarly champion them abroad.

“And we call on all nations to acknowledge that autocracy and dictatorships can become pandemics, crossing borders and infecting political processes across the globe, particularly infecting poor and vulnerable countries whose people have little to lose,” he said.

“That is why democracy must not be divorced from development. In the global community, each is dependent on the other. This summit must recognise that truth and act on it,” he added.

According to the United States Department of State, the summit, the first of two, was held from December 9 to 10, 2021, brought together leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector in a shared effort to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.