IT is encouraging to learn from Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally, that the independent body is “well set” in required preparations to conduct free and fair regional and national elections on May 11.As the primary spokesperson for GECOM, on which are experienced representatives of the three parliamentary parties contesting the coming elections, Dr Surujbally would be expected to also reflect the considered views of his colleague Commissioners as well as the Chief Elections Officer.

After all, the sad, tragic period of rigged elections — a major feature of misrule by the People’s National Congress that had made such a mockery of “democratic governance” — remained buried with the return to multi-party democratic governance under the People’s Progressive Party from 1992 to this year amid much confidence for free and fair elections on May 11.
The assumption of relevance here is that contrary to earlier reports of political footworks by foreign aid elements in partisan involvement via some “youth” organisations, ALL efforts would be made to guard against any fiddling with legitimate arrangements to deliver free and fair general and regional elections on May 11.
For now we anxiously await to learn of the policies and programmes to be pursued by the contesting political parties since voters deserve to be reasonably informed and not to be fed a constant political diet of empty promises, devoid of details and often laced with political abuse.
Our understanding is that the incumbent PPP/C is reasonably advanced in preparation for publication of its election manifesto, or ‘blueprint’ on policies and programmes for every development sector.
In contrast, there continues to flow the rhetoric of political bitterness and fanciful promises from the Opposition twin – PNC and AFC – that continue to mask their true identity and intentions while speaking from a co-called ‘common’ political platform.
The AFC, in particular, seems to face a specific challenge of overcoming the problem it had faced in 20ll in being unable to present a recognised manifesto instead of the few pages of a publication it had circulated, despite the funds it received from abroad and locally.
For now, as the PNC and AFC struggle to get their “coalition acts” together for the May 11 elections, the PPP/C is reported to be moving ahead with a ‘check-list’, as we understand it, of major disruptive activities, in and out of parliament, carried out by those parties to stymie Guyana’s further economic, social and cultural progress.