PUSHING FOR POST-ELECTION REFORMS IN GUYANA

C O N F I D E N T I A L GEORGETOWN 000832

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM GY
SUBJECT: PUSHING FOR POST-ELECTION REFORMS IN GUYANA

REF: A. STATE 114561

B. GEORGETOWN 667

C. GEORGETOWN 710

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Michael D. Thomas
For Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Chiefs of mission from the US, UK, Canada, EU, UNDP
IDB, World Bank, and IMF (collectively, the "donors") met
August 15 to identify and agree on donors' next steps to coax
the incoming post-election government into implementing
critical governance reforms.


2. (C) The donors agreed on seven key reform priorities

REFORMS IMPACTING THE DISTRIBUTION OF POWER:
-- Reforming the electoral system to make Parliament
accountable to the electorate.

REFORMS IMPACTING THE EXERCISE OF POWER:
-- Reforming GECOM and the technical machinery for elections.
-- Holding local government elections (last held in 1994 and
overdue since 1999).
-- Reforming the media, particularly state-owned media,
through the design, agreement, and implementation of new
media legislation.
-- Reforming the security sector (police, judiciary).
-- Reforming the public service.
-- Reforming public finance mechanisms.


3. (C) Reform efforts are already underway for items two
through seven, though many have been side-tracked and need
reinvigoration. The first item -- forging a connection
between the electorate and their representatives in the
National Assembly -- is the linchpin for Guyana's future.
Currently on election day Guyana's voters choose a party
knowing who is its candidate for President. But they do not
know whom they are choosing to represent them in the National
Assembly. Party headquarters pick and choose their MPs from
their party lists after finding out how many seats they won.
Therefore, the members of the National Assembly are
accountable only to their political parties and not to the
people. The six critical reforms involving exercise of power
all depend on Parliamentary action. Some have been stalled
for over a decade. Without accountability of
Parliamentarians to the electorate, the people have no way to
press for the governance reforms they want. Donors are of
one mind that without changing this perverse Marxist-inspired
electoral system, Guyana's broader reform and development
plan is doomed. Guyana can only move forward if its people
can elect the legislature directly and hold it accountable
for its actions, or lack thereof.

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NEXT STEP
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4. (C) Donors have reached consensus on the next step --
capitals and international organizations should coordinate
their post-election congratulatory messages to the winning
presidential candidate (likely to be Bharrat Jagdeo again) to
highlight the critical need for renewed efforts on reform
programs, most importantly instituting real reforms to the
electoral system. Unless Department objects, in coming days
Post will work with the donor group to draft points on
governance reforms that we will encourage capitals
(Washington, London, Ottawa, Brussels) and secretariats (OAS,
UN, The Carter Center, the Commonwealth) to draw from when
drafting their individual congratulatory messages to the
election winner.


5. (C) This next step builds on our successful efforts in
early July (in coordination with the UK, Canada, and EU) to
get political parties to commit to post-election governance
reforms (reftels). The parties made the commitments we
wanted them to -- we should remind the winner of his
commitment immediately after elections.

Thomas