WHAT a double relief this is. The Commonwealth Observer Mission has given kudos to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), for hosting a transparent election. This is so refreshing. You see readers, too many elections, in the distant past, were marred by obscurity. I always say – hide not, if you have nothing to hide. There was a time when elections in Guyana were of interest only to the ruling party. Those days had nothing like observers, public counting of ballots, and accurate electorate listings. The whole exercise was dubious and farcical. Now all these have faded. Since 1992, elections in Guyana, even if one is to say ‘not perfect, ‘have been devoid of any kind  of foul play. So Guyana has come a far way. I am wondering if in another five years,   a non-PPP/C, PNCR etc. will continue to build on this.
My second point is most important. I am so glad that a neutral party has uttered it too. According to The Commonwealth Observer Mission, it was noted that overt state media bias, towards the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C), during the campaign, compromised a level playing field. And this seems a very fair comment. However, I wish if these observers could have been here for a one-year duration and incognito too. Here is my explanation.
Dear Editor, the state media, namely National Communications Network (NCN) and The Guyana Chronicle have been in retaliation. I dare say that they did not initiate the exchanges. I think here of the many fabrications and contortions of the opposition outlets. Demerara Waves, KNEWS and SNEWS have been audacious to actually incite all kinds of negative voices. I remember the First Lady Pension Plan issue.
I think here of ‘Dem Boys Seh’ and in also publishing nastiness, then apologising- all these acts of fiendish aggression are just too obvious and ostensibly intentional to see and excuse.
Also how about the state media, again mainly the NCN and Chronicle, and their legally clean track  record? If mischief had been a part of their game, then I am sure they would have ‘earned and deservedly so’ a few court battles. The second part to this nexus is the fact that the opposition outlets ‘make no pretension’ regarding their purposes and means to these ends. They tend to accuse the state entities for actions/crimes that they themselves abound in.
I close by proffering that the state media-especially the spoken and written avenues- have been quite soft in their own defence. This is either by choice or by virtue of incompetence. I mean when a Sasenarine, Maxwell, or a Kissoon gives a ‘cussing down,’ NCN and Chronicle are not up to scratch, or they are too late-damage is done and over with.
Dear Editor, I thank God that the Commonwealth Observer Mission came and pronounced. I am sure that the utterance would be cogitated upon.