In an article published in SN on August 27 – “Whither Guyana: Autocracy or democracy?” Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan, a former senior UN official and regular contributor to SN, concludes that in Guyana there are “shades” of autocracy. The events that give rise to the “shades”  are: “official inquisitions into the tax status of NGOs; calls for new laws to ‘regulate’ NGOs;” “public campaigns of vilification against particular NGOs and their leaders;” and “‘highest level’ admonitions of judges carrying out their duties in good faith.” Dr. Ramcharan argues that while Guyana remains within the sphere of Democracy Inc., until it devises a “trusted” system of governance, “it will remain precariously poised between democracy and autocracy.” He argues that “it would help us to navigate our way inside Democracy Inc. if we could negotiate a new system of governance that would give every Guyanese a sense of belonging, or ownership, of their system of Governance.” Presumably, this new system of governance which is being called for is “inclusive governance” or “power-sharing.” which “those now in government have, so far, side-stepped.”