A video involving an exchange this morning between foreign elections observers and Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Karen Cummings, has gone viral.
The video shows the minister being upbraided for remarks she reportedly made about her having the power to revoke the accreditations to the observers.
The Head of the Commonwealth Elections Observer Mission, former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, appeared agitated as he told the minister that the commonwealth will not be disrespected by the threat to have accreditation revoked.
“I will not take it,” Arthur was heard telling the minister, who was at the time speaking on the phone.
Arthur told Dr Cummings that he will be informing the Commonwealth Secretary General, Patricia Scotland, on the matter.
The A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) subsequently issued the following statement:
“It has been brought to our attention that comments made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings to Members of the International Observer Missions are being shared on social media.
We wish to make it clear that the Government of Guyana welcomes the presence of all Observer Missions and are open to their recommendations. We regret any misunderstanding the comments of the Foreign Affairs Minister may have caused.
At this time, we are all committed to allowing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to do its work without any interference.”
