I HAVE twice before appealed to Mr. Lincoln Lewis to do the right thing by calling for a fair ballot at the 16th biennial congress of the PNC. So far, Mr. Lewis who is not known for his silence has been mum. I want to call on Mr. Lewis for the third time to demand a fair ballot this weekend.

At first, I thought Lincoln Lewis might have been busy with union business. But then, I opened the newspaper and there was Mr. Lewis – giving a ‘press conference’ about governance in Guyana. I specifically challenge Lincoln Lewis to let Guyanese know how he can countenance the possibility of a non-transparent election within the main opposition (PNC), while he is demanding shared governance from a government that was elected by 54% of the electorate.

I also call on the GHRA to unambiguously call on the Executive Committee of the PNC to hold a transparent election. The GHRA is deeply involved in Guyanese politics, and many suspect that it has a narrow agenda. Some go so far as to claim that its political agenda is driven by anti-Asian cultural biases. But be that as it may, the right thing is for the GHRA to clearly state where it stands on the fears expressed about the specter of another rigged election within the PNC. Will the real GHRA please speak?

I also call on the members of the so-called joint opposition who have been cantankerous about governance in Guyana to insist on a fair ballot at the PNC congress. It boggles the mind that these small one and two percent parties want more accountability from GoG, but not from a party (i.e. the PNC) that they have effectively joined.

I also call on the international community and NGOs to closely monitor the protestations coming from WITHIN the PNC itself.

Two things are likely to follow from such attention. Firstly, the gaze of the international community and NGO’s might very well push the Executive Committee of the PNC to actually carry out a free and transparent balloting process.

Secondly, the relevant institutions would get a really good glimpse at the duplicity that abounds. Mark my words – immediately after the possible tainted elections this weekend, the so-called joint opposition is likely to issue a call for shared governance. The small parties in the joint opposition would then sit at press conferences and pretend that they never heard of the irregularities at the 16th biennial.

Prove me wrong.