Dear Editor

I REFER to News Source, June 11, and Guyana Chronicle reports of statements, “CARICOM will not allow Guyana vote recount to be set aside.” This statement is attributed to Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the reportedly in-coming Chairperson of CARICOM.

Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is at the moment, the longest-serving prime minister within the Caribbean Community. Before that, he had served for some significant time as opposition leader. Therefore, he is what can be described as a seasoned political Caribbean man, who assumedly is well versed in the affairs of the community and its individual states – an old hand.

However, he must be called out, against the background of statements made on Guyana’s  election recount process.

His statements are very unfortunate, convenient, and at best dishonest, since it is a flagrant attempt to give an entirely different interpretation to what the Gazzetted Order has laid down with regard to its process, in accounting for the validity of the ballots cast in  Guyana’s national and regional elections. This places him on the same contrived bandwagon of the political opposition, for example, although its GECOM Commissioners had been a party to the agreed recount gazzetted order, with specific orders to VERIFY THE CREDIBILITY OF EACH VOTE CAST, FOR A VALIDATION OF THE MARCH 02 ELECTIONS, BEFORE A DECLARATION, are now echoing the deception as if it were to have been a numerical recount. ABSOLUTELY, IT IS NOT!

I would want to be the last CARICOM citizen, who would want to label Gonsalves as being dishonest, but I have to, and this is based on the fact that he must have read the Gazzetted Order, and therefore be au fait with its well detailed content, which illustrates in an unambiguous manner that the recount is to be in all scope and process one of a forensic nature, examining each ballot, as to its authenticity. Continuing, the order endows the GECOM with the authority to decide on the CREDIBILITY OR NOT OF THE ELECTORAL PROCESS, WITH REGARD TO EACH VOTE. And the exercise has not been a boon or blessing, with the overwhelming examples of fraud that have been found. If this  discovery comes as a surprise to Gonsalves, with a further shock that  hard evidence has been found in all 10 electoral districts, with the illuminating case of 41 ballot boxes, FROM PPP/C STRONGHOLDS without the requisite statutory documents for reconciliation purposes, ABSENT – THEN, HE MUST NOT BE SURPRISED, FOR IT IS AN ESTABLISHED FACT.

Clearly, this is unmitigated, and intentional ELECTORAL FRAUD, premeditated and planned; so, if Gonsalves is going to play GOD, and tell the GECOM that it cannot set aside recounted votes which were clearly fraudulent, then he is wilful in ignoring the Gazzetted Order, what it has asked for; and is advocating, like those in the political opposition and its ilk that it is just a count of numbers. Of course, Gonsalves would already know what the RECOUNT HAS COUGHED UP – FRAUD; BUT by his pronouncements, he is saying that such more-than-fraud -tainted results should not be set aside. Without a doubt, that is what he is virtually advocating; his language is quite clear. It therefore conveys clearly that he supports a government taking office via an electoral exercise that has been found to be riddled with all the irregularities that points to grand electoral fraud. If such is indeed his standard for governance, then one may perhaps understand why he is embroiled in an election petition in his present constituency. Where is his moral high ground for wanting to deliver such misconceived judgement?

In seeking to shore up his deliberately distorted and dishonest arguments, he fleetingly quoted a section of Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s statement which said that:’’…. each vote must be counted. Each vote has to be counted.” According to Gonsalves: “Well, this is where you had the basis for the recount. And the reason why it is an election and not a selection, because you have to count the votes and you have to count them honestly.”

Prime Minister Mottley’s reasoning is quite clear, in so far as they pertain to the agreed recount; for she, of course, meant every vote cast had to be accounted for – be counted. Of course, the latter would have had its genesis from an election, held; but this just- concluded process, contrary to his view that it is not a “selection,’’ is exactly what the exercise is, SINCE IT  HAS  BEEN THE SELECTION OF EACH VOTE FOR ANALYSIS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING CREDIBILITY. Gonsalves must be reminded that this has been the MISSION OF THE RECOUNT.

Since it is known that Gonsalves has had a long association with the PPP/C, that harkens back to the days of the former party leader and president, then it would be justified to raise the question of social ties that would have evolved into personal friendships, influencing him into a partisan position, which his statements really reads. This has been a continuing fact in terms of known regional personalities, issuing statements for and on behalf of the PPP/C, in their attempts to influence desired outcomes.

And for such a senior CARICOM leader, his comments are an indictment of his current national office, which once again beckons to that of the Community chair. Rather than being a mediator, he behaves as judge and jury. Why go to a petition when GECOM has the powers to decide on elections credibility, particularly WITH THE PREPONDERANCE OF EVIDENCE AT ITS DISPOSAL?

Such naked partisanship not only diminishes his soon-to-be community leadership role, but also further lend to the dangerous undemocratic perception that fraudulent votes are the new gold standard for electing governments in the Community. At least not if the GECOM DECIDES IN AN OBJECTIVE MANNER.

Regards
Earl Hamilton