THE Guyana Presbyterian Church on Wednesday afternoon held its “People of Faith, United for Peace” call for peace at the Burns Memorial Church on Irving and Anira Streets, Queenstown, Georgetown.The church service, which was well attended and graced by members of the Interreligious Organisation of Guyana among other organisations, was organised to issue a call for peace, tolerance and respect during these “challenging times” where the nation is preparing for national and regional elections.

Moderator of the Guyana Presbyterian Church, Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth said, “As a people of faith, we are called to be a source of peace, love, justice and healing and urge all Guyanese to promote these virtues.”

She added: “We need to encourage our communities and the whole society to promote tolerance, understanding and respect and to refrain from actions and utterances that could lead to polarisation, unrest and violence.”

She noted that it is important that we remind all Guyanese that we are One People, One Nation and One Destiny, with a critical realisation of our interdependence on each other, which is necessary for a peaceful, wholesome and cohesive society.

According to Sheerattan-Bisnauth, who is also Executive Director of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), the event was organised to call on the leaders of the inter-faith communities and highlight the importance of their roles in encouraging all Guyanese to stand firm for peace, to resist the possibility of polarisation, unrest, violence and destruction in the run-up to and during and after elections.

The church service started with a welcome and call to prayer, songs, scripture reading, musical renditions and hymns by several Inter-Religious Orgnaisation members and others.

Several religious leaders including those that represented the three faiths – Hindu, Muslim and Christian – yesterday challenged all citizens to remain peaceful during this time.

Meanwhile, Major General (ret’d) Joseph Singh, who delivered the feature address on Wednesday night said “it is important to stress the role you have to play in encouraging persons to stand firm for peace, to resist the possibility of polarisation, unrest, violence and destruction in the run up to, during and after the National and Regional Elections to be held on Monday, May 11th 2015.”

He noted that the national elections in a democratic Guyana is an event that should be anticipated and celebrated. It should be a time when constituents or eligible voters exercise their franchise to vote for a political party of their choice which will form the Government for the five years.
Singh added that electors are expected to make their own determination in the sanctity of the voting booth at the Polling Place where they are listed to vote, on which political party’s symbol on the ballot paper they will place their mark. They expect that the integrity of the process will guarantee that their votes will be counted by GECOM officials and that the count will be monitored by party scrutineers and designated observers. The results of the counting at the place of poll will then be certified by the relevant officials and the Statement of Poll posted outside of the Polling Place and declarations will be made by the Returning Officer of the Electoral District, and finally by the Chief Elections Officer.
He stated that this sounds simple and uncomplicated but in Guyana, in every election since Independence, there is a tendency in the period leading up to elections to ratchet up tensions as the major political protagonists seize every advantage in their effort to show the electorate reasons why they should not cast their vote for the ‘other’.
Political parties spend a lot of time and resources in their mission of influencing voters as to why they should vote for their Party and advertise their manifesto as a programme that will bring the country and its citizen’s benefits.
Singh said, “They offer their vision and mission and set out the goals and targets to be achieved and provide citizens with an overview and some specifics as to how they intend to achieve those goals and objectives. Meanwhile the media, political commentators, civil society leaders and rights advocates, ensure wide coverage and analyses of all of the events and activities associated with an election campaign, each contesting party’s strategy and tactics, the integrity of political leaders, their personalities, accusation and allegations of wrong doing, identifying limitations- real or perceived, of the system of governance and accountability and the expectations of the citizens, the Diaspora, investors, the donor agencies and the international community.”
He pointed out that this approach, not surprisingly, allows a diversity of commentators, social networks and the media on the one hand to highlight past failures, indiscretions and poor governance justifying the need for change, while on the other hand the incumbent’s examples of achievements and progress are highlighted, justifying the need for continuity.
Singh explained that it is in this environment that the seeds of discord, mistrust and fear are sown. When the element of fear is introduced and accusations against each other are hurled by contesting Parties, the cumulative effect of the negativity takes its toll.
However, not surprisingly, the messages of hope, exciting times ahead and heightened expectations reflected in the manifestos of the parties, seem to get overshadowed by the weight of negative party political propaganda, he said.
Singh added that less than objective reporting by media houses and social networks impact on the perceptions of electors and can cause disillusionment, particularly on impressionable young electors who are voting for the first time.
He said it is this kind of unfortunate scenario that has plagued our electoral processes since independence and instead of looking at elections as a renewal of and a recommitment to the democratic process, some persons genuinely view election season with some trepidation and have concerns about safety and security. So every high profile robbery, shooting incident, fire, carbon dust in rice, and political malfeasance, is situated within the context of the election campaign. The speed of the internet and rapid dissemination of information or propaganda through the social media networks, tend to exacerbate the challenges of retaining objectivity and focus on what is truly important – the national interest, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and our legacy to future generations of responsible stewardship of our natural capital – our natural resources and the environment.
Singh pointed out that during the campaign leading up to and during the elections, persons who have traditionally cultivated cordial relationships find it challenging to sustain these because of the extent to which their relationship with their party influences the relationship with the ‘others’ in their traditional sphere of activities – for example in the office, the field, the factory, the university, the community, and even among their extended family.
He noted that it is a measure of the extent to which the fear and anxiety factor has started to affect the citizens that, to a large extent, prompted this commendable pre-emptive action by you, People of Faith United for Peace, and others such as the leadership of the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, the Hindu and Muslim leaders, to appeal to the political parties and citizens to choose the path of peace.
“You, people of faith have chosen to be a source of peace, love, justice and healing and to encourage your communities and the whole society to promote tolerance and understanding and to refrain from actions and utterances that could lead to violence and polarisation.”

By Michel Outridge