– as they elect candidates to govern community

IN Region Six, East Berbice-Corentyne, a total of 92,806 eligible voters were expected to cast their ballots in three municipalities and 18 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) in Local Government Elections (LGE).

The polling stations were opened promptly at 06:00hrs and unlike general elections, there were no long queues of people waiting to get in to cast their ballots. For most polling stations it was observed that the older folks, especially the senior citizens, came out early to exercise their franchise.

Among the early voters were 91-year-old Sanjerie Sankar originally of Fyrish village but relocated to Port Mourant. Sankar told the Guyana Chronicle she is a seasoned voter and had awoken since 04:00hrs in preparation for the day. Despite her age and moving around with a walking cane, she was among the first to cast her ballot at the Berbice Islamic School in Trainline, Port Mourant, East Berbice-Corentyne. She described the process as smooth and simple.

“I vote in all them elections so this don’t bother me, it more easy now than long ago, I am an old voter you know,” she chuckled.

Another person who got up early was 66-year-old Itwarie Permaul of Port Mourant but could not vote because the polling station she was registered to did not have a ramp for her wheel chair and she could not get in. She did not register for a proxy since she wanted to be present and exercise her franchise personally. She eventually left feeling disappointed at not being able to vote despite being up from 05:00hrs. However this publication was informed the elderly woman received help after a party representative ensured she was looked after.

As the day went by, people trickled in throughout the day, the morning sessions started slow but picked up pace around 8 o’clock and went into an almost stand still around noon for most polling stations, Black Bush being the exception.

The women braved the mid-day sun to come out and cast their ballots. This was observed in all four polders: Lesbeholden, Mibicuri, Johanna and Yakasari. Their reason was that they are usually up early preparing meals for their husbands and other family members who leave early to go into the fields and toil.

Towards the mid to late afternoon period, there was an increase in the number of persons at the polling stations as party representatives combed the villages and Towns appealing to those who did not yet vote to get it done before close of poll at 18:00hrs.

Mostly working adults, returning from work, were seen in the late afternoon sessions at the various polling stations. Others said they preferred the afternoon because the temperature was cooler and figured by then the rush would have been over.

Overall the entire process was described as smooth and incident free for most of the NDCs and municipalities. In the Municipality of Corriverton, the Mayor Hemchand Jaichand described the process as a smooth and simple one without any hiccups.

One of the largest NDC in the country, 52/74 saw a number of persons trickling in throughout the day as candidates contesting for the various constituencies expressed optimism and promised continued development in their respective area.

In the Fyrish/Courtland area, families and neighbours assisted and waited on each other to go to the polls. Many were out as the various polling stations opened their doors. Like many other residents, Samuel Matheson said he is hoping to see “betterment, proper drains and good roads” in the future.

Meanwhile, the URP presence comprising of mainly youths was highly noted in the Rose Hall and Crabwood Creek.

Kalamazad Ibrahim, URP’s Region Six representative, told the Guyana Chronicle his party has recognised the importance of youth involvement for community development as such the candidates contesting comprise of educated youths who are willing to take part in the developmental process. Over all for the day, he described the process as “peaceful”.