The tone of your letter is consistent with that of a slave owner

Dear Mr. Gouveia,

I NOTE in the Guyana Times of Monday, July 22, 2019, a letter authored by you, in your capacity as Chairman of the Guyana Private Sector Commission (PSC), which was addressed to Mr. Keith Lowenfield, Commissioner of Registration and Chief Elections Officer of GECOM. It is not my intention to dignify your treatment of issues, which you sought to present as factual information in your letter, simply because it is riddled with inaccuracies. It is not a true narrative of events, and is deliberately designed to hold Lowenfield up to public ridicule. Additionally, your letter, in its attempt at assassinating his character and impugning by inference what you believe are his intentions, places the lives of Lowenfield and other members of his family in serious jeopardy.

Further, what I found most disconcerting is the tone you adopted; a tone consistent with that of a white slave owner, who, in the presence of his overseers, is penalising a delinquent slave for failing to carry out the instructions of “massa”. When I read that part of your letter, I was filled with anger, and I imagined the treatment of my forefathers by yours as they were beaten; the sound of the whips and the voices of the slave owners as they counted the lashes, one, two, three… The tone of your letter was reminiscent of that sordid period, and I felt that you longed for a return of that time. It appears as if you imagined yourself wielding the powers of your ancestors as you berated Lowenfield for daring to do what you believe he should not be doing. While you may not think so, ‘massa’ day has finished a long time, and nothing that you do will see a return to those days.

If truth be known, all that Lowenfield, who, over the years, has been known to be and is accepted as a highly-competent person, has been doing is carrying out the instructions of the full Commission, including PPP Commissioners, which took a unanimous decision to implement GECOM’s 2019 work programme; that includes house-to-house registration as a necessary component. It is my understanding, as I am sure it is yours, he is also, in keeping with his obligations to ensure elections are held in the shortest possible time, carrying out those tasks which do not require the presence of the Chairman.

Let me, for the record, state that I am the person who seconded and also voted for the motion that was put before the commission to implement its 2019 work programme. I did so fearlessly. I offer no apology for doing so, and will do it again if required. As a person who has been part of the electoral process since the 1970s, I am aware of the dangers inherent in holding elections in Guyana with a flawed list. In spite of your attempts to say otherwise, the list is flawed, and massively so.

In my estimation, the one best way to guarantee acceptance of the results of the forthcoming elections is for them to be conducted with a list that enjoys the fullest confidence of all the actors. I said that to representatives of the ABC countries and the Carter Centre when they met with GECOM just prior to the Guyana Appeal Court handing down its decision on the NCM vote.

I want to make it very clear at this juncture that I do not care which party wins the elections. What I am most concerned about is the fate of the country in a post-elections scenario, if the losers decide that mayhem must ensue as a result of their disaffection with the results. I believe that could be avoided, and it is in that context, I believe, that GECOM’s role is to ensure that the conditions for credible elections are in place when they are held. I, therefore, support the actions of Lowenfield as he pursues house-to-house registration, with the objective of holding credible elections in Guyana.

Finally, two things: First, I believe it will help if the PSC adopts a posture that recognises the obligation of all the players on the field to ensure that the right thing is done for Guyana. At this time, you are signalling your obsession with ensuring that the Granger Administration falls, and is replaced by your preferred political party. People are not taking you seriously; they see you and others in the PSC as close confidants of Jagdeo, with no interest other than the extent to which you can financially benefit from the PPP/C being in office. Go on the streets and ask the populace how they see you; they will confirm what I have said. Second, I will have tremendous difficulty meeting with a representative team from the PSC to discuss National Elections and the current political climate in Guyana following the rude, disrespectful and abusive letter that you, as Chairman of that organisation penned to Keith Lowenfield of GECOM.

Regards,
Desmond Trotman
Commissioner
GECOM

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