Our democracy here in the United States over the last two centuries has weathered the storms of war, economic depression, crime, drugs, corruption and scandal. It survives because we make our mistakes openly, we learn from them and we correct them openly. Our government and its officials are politically, financially and legally accountable.
-Former US Ambassador James Michel (1991)
On 27 April 2013, another section of the media carried an article under the caption, ‘President Ramotar tells US clean your house first, don’t lecture to us.’ This statement was reportedly made in reaction to the findings contained in the Guyana 2012 Human Rights Report, especially as regards corruption and the recent disclosure about the issuance of radio licences within days of the last general elections.
The President referred to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp where several detainees went on hunger strike in
