Last updated on Thursday, 7 January 2021, 17:32 by Denis Chabrol
Sarah-Ann Lynch
United States (US) Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch on Thursday afternoon unleashed the invasion of the Capitol building in Washington DC by hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters as Parliament certified election results that confirmed he lost to ‘ r President-elect Joe Biden.
“I am shocked and saddened by the events held at the US Capitol yesterday. Lawlessness and terror are always unacceptable, and do not represent US values as enshrined in the US Constitution, ”he said in a brief statement on Facebook.
Ms Lynch overnight has come in for criticism in some quarters for being silent about the events on Wednesday which saw offices being rebuilt, furniture and other items being broken and four people killed. The American ambassador has also been quoted as being almost silent by the ruckus of opposition Progressive People’s Party (PPP) supporters at the Division Four Return Office as Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo has been declaring controversial results that would have given victory to A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU + AFC). The United States has been among the major Western Nations and organizations that had called for APNU + AFC to accept the results of the national vote recount and facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).
In her response to the events at the Capitol Building, the US Ambassador said there was nothing wrong with peaceful protests and suggested that he was violent. “There is a role for peaceful protests to hold leaders to account, but that is not what we saw yesterday,” he said.
Ms. Lynch is confident that the US would come out of this difficult time as “our democratic institutions remain strong.” She suggested that those responsible for Wednesday’s unrest should be punished, even as her country is now on the way for transferring power from the Trump administration to Biden. “Those responsible will be held to account and the democratic process will continue. Our nation will have an orderly transition to a new administration on January 20th, ”he said.
As U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Joseph Mondello, said her country would emerge as a whole. “He US has been tried before and will be tested again, but our strong institutions will always prevail,” he said. Ambassador Lynch commended the U.S. legislators who fulfilled their duties to protect and defend American democracy.
Similar to Mr. Mondello’s sentiments, he said he was genuinely heartened by notes from allies and partners around the world about their faith in the strength of US democracy.
Ever since President Trump began indulging in American media houses and journalists for asking difficult questions, the American Embassy had for several years now played the part of World Press Freedom Day observances.
The United States Ambassador to the Guyana Declaration by Ambassador Karen Lynn Williams earlier Thursday slammed condemnation of Trump supporters, saying the Capitol Chambers were “violently trespassed by an illegal crowd.”
He welcomed the eventual eviction of the trespassers by members of the National Guard and the eventual return on Wednesday evening of US Congress members and Vice President Mike Pence, saying that “is a testament to the strength of our democracy and courage our elected representatives. ”
Ambassador Williams said Thursday’s event suddenly reminds us that democracy is not static – it requires vigilance and commitment. ”Like her counterpart to Guyana, the US Ambassador to Suriname said the offenders would be punished. “Those who commit the attack will be held accountable and the rule of law, not the crowd, will prevail.”
He thanked those who offered messages of support, saying that the United States and Suriname and the US share common values that they share and their joint commitments to democracy and the rule of law. “The democratic process in both countries has been tested in the past, and it may not be tested in the future, but we know that these experiences and our responses to them make us stronger,” he said.