Dear Editor
RECENT campaign rally by the PPP, featured in the headlines, quoted Bharrat Jagdeo and presidential hopeful, Irfaan Ali, saying that they will “take our country back”.
Take back our country? From who? No foreign invader has seized our dear land nor was it lost to any domestic tyranny or terror; in fact, it is in the hands of the Guyanese people through a duly, democratically elected government at the national, regional and local government level. Something we could not say to be true of the PPP government under the presidency of Mr. Jagdeo.

Mr. Jagdeo and his recently selected presidential candidate are at it again with their race-bating for political gains as surely his comments were a reference to the ethnic make-up of the PPP and the larger coalition government partner (PNC/R). [During the] last election campaign, Mr. Jagdeo said that if the PPP wasn’t returned to power, the GDF will be used to kick down the doors of PPP supporters’ homes and do unspeakable things.
“When they link up with the Military and come into your homes and start kicking the doors down and when they come after you, who is going to be there…?” (Kaieteur News April 20, 2015)

None of which ever came to past.
Guyanese are more involved in the running of this country than ever before, as the press is truly free, freedom of speech is guaranteed (no calypsos bad-mouthing government banned) and access to information greatly improved with projects such as the commissioning of Radio Ishalton. So, to cast aspersions that Guyana is in the hands of anything except Guyanese is a fallacy.

Allow me to further dispel the fallacy propagated by the PPP duo with their “take our country back” comment. Current PPP campaign has the slogan “Defend Your Democracy” which, when taken into account, the history of the PPP as against their coalition opponent is beyond ironic. Democracy is the velvet glove that hides the iron fist of the autocratic elitist nature of the PPP in its current form. Bharrat Jagdeo and Irfaan Ali are willing to disenfranchise scores of young people in their thirst for power by their unwillingness to allow house-to-house registration and a proper cleansing of the voters list.

It is in their power to allow house-to-house registration with a two-thirds majority parliamentary support to hold elections after GECOM is fully ready. This is the party that, by lip service, claims to be champions of the cause for young Guyanese. From 2015 to date, 14 and 15-year-olds would have come to age where they would have been constitutionally guaranteed a democratic right to one vote for the party of their choice. Jagdeo, Irfaan and the PPP would deny that right to young people to cast their first ever vote if it means a shot at power and that calls into question their motive for seeking office.

The PPP, maybe the largest mass-based political party in Guyana [had] a wonderful opportunity to prove their commitment to democracy, was afforded to the party when it came time to elect and not select a presidential candidate. By modest estimations, the PPP has 14,000 registered members of which 13,965 voices were silenced, only allowing for 35 to have a say in who represents the party as its presidential candidate. Not counting out those who by unofficial reports were pressured to withdraw or votes bought by Mr. Jagdeo. So, in reality, the democratic enfranchisement of 14,000 PPP members was sacrificed for the will of just one (Mr. Jagdeo).

A seat in the National Assembly is afforded by about 7,000 votes and those who occupy those seats do so on the basis of representative democracy and, as a result, do not represent themselves, but the 7,000 votes that put them there. On the 21st of December, 2018, 7,000 voters had their democratic will subverted with the help of PPP operatives (Peter Ramsaroop and car full of friends) when Charrandass Persaud voted with the opposition. A vote that, contrary to Mr. Persaud’s claim of one of conscience, is reportedly to have been procured for US$1 million and given who the vote benefits and his company on the said night strongly hints his buyer to be agents of the PPP.

Not even the democratic rights guaranteed under the constitution is safe under a Jagdeo-led PPP government, as he denied the country’s local government elections so that hand selected interim management committees (IMC) that bent to his will did his biddings. So no, Guyanese will not give back this country to the cabal of Jagdeo or his cohorts. Guyana will not be surrendered back to the hands of a select few friends who monopolised local industries such as the telecommunication to their selfish benefit, the streets and the lives of young men will not be sold over again to drug lords to do with as they wish and Guyana will not see ministers and friends create another ‘Pradoville’.

Guyana currently rests safely in the hands of Guyanese benefitting Guyanese! Take back our country? We have already taken it back through free and fair elections overseen by a PPP government and we will keep our country with another free and fair elections whenever it comes.

Regards
Kenny Valladares