Statement By Mr Hensley Robinson, Chief of the CARICOM Electoral Mission to Guyana, AT MEDIA BRIEFING ON 25 AUGUST 2006, TURKEYEN, GREATER GEORGETOWN, GUYANA

Good morning and welcome to the Headquarters of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Our delegation is pleased to be among the good people of Guyana and to serve as observers in their electoral process.

Responding to the invitation of the Guyanese government, CARICOM Heads of State and Government mandated that an observer mission be present for these elections. As such 13 observers are here in Guyana representing 11 countries. We are happy to report to you that this team is comprised of members with a wealth of experience in election administration, since all of us have worked or been involved in various types of electoral systems. In fact present here today are six chief or former chief elections officers, two deputy chief elections officers, a former Parliamentarian and a Permanent Secretary with responsibility for electoral affairs.

The advance team, of the Chief of Mission, the Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Stuart Leslie from Belize and our support staff here at the Secretariat, began the work prior to our arrival in Georgetown last Sunday. In fact Ambassador Granderson and the team here at the Secretariat have been preparing the necessary documentation for some time.

Since our arrival, Ambassador Leslie and I have been conducting meetings with members of GECOM, members of political and civil organizations, observer missions and other stakeholders, including local community activists and media personalities. We are happy that the remainder of our delegation has joined us and we are now prepared to expand the scope of our activities from now until the end of the elections process. Our endeavour is to reach out to as many communities as we possibly can to listen to them and to observe the process in its various forms.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, Guyana is integral to CARICOM and as such we feel a special connection to this Mission. First of all we see our mandate as the continuation of a process that started with the Herdmanston Accord, which was signed right here in Guyana in 1998. As such CARICOM’s role in this process does not end at the announcement of results; and our mandate, although very much that of observers, must be seen as part of a larger process.

Our presence here in Guyana is not only a reflection of our solidarity with the Guyanese people, but also an indication of the commitment of CARICOM to the principles of democracy, including the right of our people to free and fair elections. A principle we so believe that it was affirmed in our Member States signing the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society as well as the Inter-American Democratic Charter of the Organization of American States.

As Observers therefore, we intend to be impartial; to carry out our responsibilities without disruptions to the process. We will try to make ourselves available to listen to as many of the stakeholders as possible. And we will go about executing our functions in our best professional judgment.

We intend to work with the other observer groups and those other organisations that have a presence here in Guyana, hoping that through our collaboration we can reach as many constituencies as possible.

Monday is an important day for the people of Guyana and we share the hope of all that they will exercise their constitutional right to determine the direction of Guyana for the next five years.

We thank the people of Guyana for the privilege to be here with you in this process and reiterate our hope for a peaceful exercise with an outcome in the best interest of all the Guyanese People.

Mr Robinson leads a 13-member Mission which includes:

Staff members of CARICOM Secretariat attached to the Mission:

Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Amb. Colin Granderson
Lilia Ramjeawan, Project Officer, Foreign Policy & Community Relations.