Senior Counsel and founding member of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Ralph Ramkarran, has responded to claims of “shades of autocracy” in Guyana, as highlighted in a recent article by Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan. Published on August 27 and titled “Whither Guyana: Autocracy or Democracy?” Dr. Ramcharan, a former senior UN official, pointed to several incidents that suggest the emergence of autocratic tendencies in the country. These incidents include official inquiries into the tax status of NGOs, calls for new laws to regulate NGOs, public vilification campaigns against specific NGOs and their leaders, and admonitions directed at judges performing their duties in good faith.
While Dr. Ramcharan acknowledges that Guyana remains within the realm of democracy, he warns that without a trusted system of governance, the nation is precariously positioned between democracy and autocracy. He advocates for the establishment of an “inclusive governance” system, which he believes would instill a sense of belonging among all Guyanese citizens. However, Ramkarran, in his critique, argues that accusations of autocratic behaviour, often levied at various political systems worldwide, do not fully apply to Guyana’s situation.
Ramkarran in his converationtree.gy media outlet, dismisses the notion of widespread vilification of NGOs, noting that while some have been sharply criticized, such critiques stem from perceived political biases within these organizations. He also counters the claim that the judiciary and magistracy are under threat, pointing out that recent criticisms by political figures have not challenged judicial decisions as politically motivated. He further asserts that Dr. Ramcharan made no mention of press freedom being under assault or parliamentary democracy being subverted—key indicators of autocratic rule.
Ramkarran contends that Guyana’s political landscape is more accurately characterized by the struggle for ethno-political dominance, rather than a genuine pursuit of inclusive governance. He argues that there has never been widespread popular support for power-sharing among the major political parties or the general public. The idea of inclusive governance, he notes, has historically been promoted by political elites and has not been embraced as a policy by either of the major parties in recent years.
According to Ramkarran, the implementation of shared governance in Guyana would require significant persuasion and political will. Parties would need to convince their supporters, who are historically aligned along ethnic lines, to embrace a new, untested system of governance. While supporters of shared governance, like Dr. Ramcharan, believe it could help heal the deep ethnic divisions in society, Ramkarran argues that the current situation does not warrant labeling Guyana as teetering on the edge of autocracy.
