GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has told the visiting United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, that Guyana is a one-party state as he outlined several concerns about governance, corruption, and poverty and the need for electoral reforms in the country.
Norton, who met with Blinken at the US Embassy here after meeting with President Dr. Irfaan Ali, said he had presented a dossier containing the Opposition’s views on several issues, including food and energy security and the country’s heavy reliance on infrastructure.
Norton said the dossier “contains several issues. We raised the issue of food and energy security. It dealt with the oil sector, and I pointed out that there is an over-focus on capital expenditure for infrastructure and no real focus on human development. Of course, it lamented that we are an oil nation, living in poverty, and the resources are not trickling down.
“We informed him of the consequences of this type of economic starvation of the African Guyanese community, and like in my presentation, I spoke to the fact that a one-party state is emerging, and we mentioned the fact the politicization of the Guyana Police Force, and it is operating as an arm of the(ruling) People’s Progressive Party,” Norton said.
The Opposition Leader said that Guyana had welcomed two US Secretaries of State over the past three years, highlighting the reality of Guyana being in focus on the world stage.
“I underscored the fact that he said in his talk with the Western Hemispheric group that they are looking towards a free, secure, open, and prosperous world, and I said to him that we endorse those sentiments, but we also believe that in the Guyana context, there is need for inclusiveness and once that can emerge, then we will find ourselves in a better position,” Norton said.
Mike Pompeo was the last US Secretary of State to visit Guyana in 2020. During his visit, he did not have any engagements with the Opposition.
Media reports here said that the Norton-Blinken meeting had surprised the Guyana government. Norton said that he also used the brush to raise the issue of electoral reform and the need for an improved elections system ahead of the 2025 elections.
“I indicated to him that the guardrails of democracy are being removed and that Guyana is virtually a one-party state. I suggested to him that we need to move toward inclusiveness in the discussions.
“I also used the opportunity to point out that there isn’t economic freedom in Guyana and that (Government) contracts are allocated in a very discriminatory way, and he seemed very much interested in us needing to have a stable situation after the next elections. And I said essentially that that is possible once we can get a clean voters list and biometrics, among other things”, Norton said.
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