– a boon to voter turnout, show of maturity
The government’s declaration of Polling Day (Monday 28, 2011) a national holiday was no doubt welcome news in some quarters, as it allowed persons to go out and vote at their leisure and not have to wonder  whether they would be allowed time-off to do so, had they to work.

As with most such decisions, there will always be differences of opinion, so yesterday we took to the streets to find out what the public thought of the idea, and whether it was worth the effort.

**Daniel Winfield, Linden bus driver:
I think that declaring November 28 General Election Day a national holiday was a good thing.  The first thing is that it gave people the liberty to be able to get up and go out to the polls early, and so avoid the late rush and confusion.  Bear in mind, being able to vote is something very important, and should not be left to chance.
Then, on the other hand, what makes it even better is that some employers might not want to give their staff time-off to go and vote, so that it creates a tension if they have to vote outside of working hours and find that things are not working out for them.  That, in itself, could lead to some people missing the opportunity to exercise their franchise.
As it relates to what was anticipated by some people, that a holiday would result in a reduced transportation flow: That was not the case.  Vehicles maintained a steady flow, and people were able to get to their destinations and back home on time. In fact, some of the vehicles were even contracted to work for GECOM, and that was good collaboration.

**Ashanti Gilgeous, businesswoman:
I would say that a holiday being given for people to come out and vote is a good thing; it allowed people the ease and freedom to adjust themselves from a usually hectic work day, and put systems in place to ensure that nothing got into the way of their voting.  In fact, from the time of waking, it turned out to be so relaxing and stress–free for most people who had to vote.  It was one time when the average employee felt in charge of their lives, knowing that their being able to vote did not depend on whether their boss would allow it or not.  Voting is a person’s constitutional right, and no person should be denied the opportunity to do so, simply because his boss is not comfortable with that, or feels that his job is more important.
In my case, I am, self-employed, but having to shut our businesses here in the market-place for that one day did not make much of a difference.  Take today for example:  It is a working day, but it is a tradition that immediately after voting day, and until the results are officially out, there will be tension; and it would not be business as usual. Business today was slow, and it was not a holiday. So, we have to be flexible.

**Alexis George, businesswoman:  
Giving a holiday for the people of Guyana to have the freedom to put voting at the head of their list of priorities on Election Day was a great move.  It allowed, particularly the young people, to come out and vote in their numbers, because they normally have a lot of commitments.  I was happy to see the amount of young people voting this time around, and in fact, if you look at it overall, the voter turn-out was about the best so far.  I think the holiday had a lot to do with it.  At first, we feared that transportation would not be easily available, but the vehicles came out, and so people moved around with ease; were not tense and agitated; and it was generally a peaceful day.

**Ruth Oliviere-Paul, vendor:
Whether it was a holiday or a working day is not so much the problem. What matters is that people should get conscious and realise that Elections Day and voting for a Government to lead one’s country is serious business.  People have to be flexible and make the best of situations; nobody should be able to affect your voting, one way or the other, and to the extent that so many people turned out and voted, then it means that people have matured and made the best of the situation. You just have to do what you have to do.  Now, for example, today is a working day and not a holiday, but the shoppers are still few.  What do we do?  We have to make the best of the situation.

** ‘Bush Tonic’, Stabroek businessman:
Having to go out to work or being given a holiday to vote should not determine whether a person votes or not.  Now, there are three categories of people:  Those who say giving a holiday is the best thing; those who say, ‘Let it continue to be a working day’; then those who say, ‘Holiday or no holiday, I have to get out there and on time, and nothing will stop me!’ Which approach do you think will benefit the electorate?