IT is incumbent upon political leaders to encourage their supporters to let peace prevail, even if the polls do not bring their party the expected results that they hope for. Any other course would spell doom for our country.It is to be hoped that the good of the country and the citizens is paramount to personal ambitions, and that inflammatory rhetoric and the hyping up of supporters about an assured victory at the polls would cease, because Guyana has an unfortunate and even tragic history of devastation, destruction and even death caused by violent eruptions pre, during and post-elections.

In such instances, there are no winners, because monies that can otherwise be used for social enhancement of lives are consequently diverted to repair and rectify the losses and damages incurred in the aftermath of such destructive and violent episodes.

There have been violent eruptions at places of poll, and alleged intimidatory tactics used to scare away persons from exercising their franchise, which has made this election one that is not free from fear. If this is so, then how can these elections be described as free and fair? This is a contradiction in terms, given the circumstances.

Guyanese have to live together and pursue their respective lives and livelihoods within the ambit of a joint nationhood, so destroying the productive sectors and the peace of the nation bodes no good for anyone. Ultimately, everyone loses.

The responsibility of the leaders of the nation is to ensure that their supporters adhere to the laws of the land, and allow everyone their right to enjoy all freedoms assured under a democracy.

Their supporters are not animals where the law of the jungle prevails, but citizens of a country where everyone has equal rights, out of which they should not be bullied or intimidated from the full enjoyment of the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the land.

It was hoped yesterday that everyone would have exercised their franchise peacefully, and allowed their fellow citizens to do likewise. Whatever the outcome of the elections, it is imperative that peace prevails in the nation, because this country may never recover from the aftermath of another violent episode.