On Monday, March 2, Guyana, a newly minted oil producer and small Caribbean country in South America, had its 2020 presidential election. The resulting vote led to President Granger of the Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (ANPU-AFC) to be re-elected for another term. According to BBC News, his victory was called into question by many international diplomats from the United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union because of the supposed inaccuracy and incomplete count of Region Four’s vote. Region Four is Guyana’s largest populated electoral district, and its population’s voices could have changed the tide for the election. As Granger was claiming power, these embassies warned Guyana’s government that the transferring of power at this moment was unconstitutional. 

The people of Guyana protested violently after the results were released. According to Reuters, a protestor was killed and demonstrators filled the streets after evidence of fraud was found. Many Guyanese became fearful of Guyana going into darker times with many of their fundamental democratic rights denied. Guyanese are the fifth-largest foreign-born residents in New York, meaning many in the state have relatives still living in this politically tumultuous climate. Out of fear for the future of their families and home country, Stabroek News reported that on Saturday, March 7, many Guyanese in New York gathered on 134th Liberty Avenue, New York to call for unity and electoral transparency. On Sunday, March 8, the Daily Gazette reported New York-based Guyanese in Schenectady rallying on the front steps of Schenectady’s City Hall calling for a fair election. 

This tainted electoral process could have been foreseen and handled better. With oil being discovered in Guyana in 2015 and ExxonMobil continuing to make new oil discoveries in the country, there should have been concern over how greatly the potential future wealth of the country would affect the election process. According to Forbes, “the International Monetary Fund has estimated 85.6 percent GDP growth in 2020” for Guyana, and ExxonMobil is looking at a production of 750,000 daily barrels by 2025. The government expects to make $300 million in oil revenues, reported BBC News. 

This future wealth was the highlight of the election campaign. According to Reuters, APNU-AFC promised to use the newfound wealth in financing cash transfers to citizens and investing in infrastructure. The PPP openly criticized Granger for not seeking a greater percentage from the ExxonMobil deal. If not careful, Guyana could become another Venezuela, where according to The New York Times, the current president has slowly signed off control of their oil production to foreign companies. 

With greed for oil and wealth polluting the country’s democratic system, Guyanese need to worry about whether they are taking steps back to a time when the People’s National Congress (PNC) ruled Guyana with a strict hand. According to NACLA, PNC limited the rights of the people legally and civilly as they halted habeas corpus and the power to strike. Corruption in the electoral process is harming an important facet of a democratic system that provides citizens their civil rights. Any threat to their democratic structure could risk creating riots and hurting international relationships. The United States has stated their opinion on the ordeal, and if things continue, they may not be as willing to lend a guiding hand. Guyanese have to choose Guyana over oil.

Letisha Dass is a first-generation Indo-Guyanese American journalism student minoring in political science.