It claims that the prize is to honour the remarkable or incomparable contribution of Guyanese, Caribbean nationals for the promotion of good governance, democratic values, and human freedoms.

The GID president is of course none other than Rickford Burke, PNC/R activist and he and his organization is trying to promote the Benschop treason case as a cause celebre claiming that Benschop is not being accorded fair and humane treatment and somehow the PPP/Civic is manipulating the Judicial system against him.

We all know that Benschop is being accorded all rights and privileges under the law as is accorded to other Guyanese and in no way are his rights being denied him, although he and his PNC/R supporters seem to feel that he must be accorded special treatment and privileges over and above what is meted out to others.

In other words, they want to manipulate the Justice system in his favour because of his social and political connections; this could have happened under the PNC government but certainly not under the PPP/Civic Government, which was elected under free and fair elections, which former US President Mr. Jimmy Carter played a great role in helping to bring about.
Yours faithfully,
Joseph Browne

What 'Democracy Prize'?
The irony of all ironies is the announcement that the pro-PNC, anti-PPP, Guyana Institute for Democracy (GID) will be inaugurating a "Democracy Prize".

What 'Democracy Prize'?

Those familiar with the GID will acknowledge that its president was a former top aid to President Hoyte, during his authoritarian rule from 1985 to 1992. The GID continues to promote a platform of undermining the democratic gains made by the ruling PPP/C. Only recently the editor of the Stabroek News was forced to correct the gross misrepresentations of Rickford Burke who sought to impugn the reputation of the President by falsely accusing the President of subverting the rule of law.

The more recent campaign of the GID is to peddle untruths about the Mark Benschop imprisonment. Benschop was charged with the capital offense of treason and a Preliminary Enquiry found there was sufficient basis for him to be committed to the High Court. Thus his continued incarceration is sanctioned by the Courts.

It is false for the GID to impute that the decision of a High Court Judge to grant a Nisi order of certiorari was unusual. Not only was the order granted, but also arguments in the matter were immediately undertaken and continues. Such orders can and have been granted in the past based on the arguments adduced by the litigants in their motion.

Recently lawyers for Benschop applied to be joined to the case and the Judge has approved of this application.

If the GID is serious about democracy it would concentrate its efforts at ensuring that the party it supports accepts the will of the people and refrain from its protestations aimed at subverting the democratic gains evident since 1992.
Ramesh Sukhu

NOVEMBER 19, 2003