Dear Editor,
Today, Guyanese are faced with two extremely harmful conditions. One, the coronavirus, and two, our man-made virus as a result of the 2020 general & regional elections.
The first is universal and not of our own making, except that referred idiotic statements from certain quarters that the coronavirus has a political dimension.
We note that even the heir to the British Throne has been diagnosed positive.
We have learnt hundreds dying in Italy, loved ones unable to attend and take part in final funeral rites. In the USA there is a lock down, groceries and supermarkets’ shelves are empty as a result of panic buying. In India, millions with no access to potable water supply and basic sanitary facilities face the inevitable.
A similar situation exists in the African Sub Continents
China, thanks to their very early astringent measures, has witnessed a reduction in deaths.
Examples of a number of celebrities are positive, sportsmen, an 18-year-old is positive. In summary, no one in the world is spared from this pandemic.
For us in Guyana, it is clear we do not have the capability to deal with an outbreak. Countries with more financial and technological resources are having great difficulty satisfying the populace as a result of this pandemic.
Guyanese from the North-West to the Corentyne, from the coastal belt to the Rupununi need to comply with what may seem stringent and extreme measures so as to ensure that COVID-19 does not enter our borders.
For many of us, having some small funerals, no parties, and a general lock down may seem traumatic and as I have heard from some, they feel that these strong measures are unreasonable and unnecessary.
Dear Editor, let us use your columns to persuade every Guyanese family from the coast to the hinterland, from the riverine areas to subscribe and practice the wisdom that prevention, no matter how costly, or stressful, is by far better than cure.
In any case, if there is an outbreak, where will we find the hospital beds, medicines and ventilators from? Every group, irrespective of religious, social or political leaning should be at one in an effort to keep this deadly virus away and at bay.
The other great difficulty Guyanese face is the stress and strain of elections 2020.
I dictate this letter as we enter another round of legal challenges by both sides of our unhappy political divide.
I ask when will this nonsense end?
As one with nearly seven decades in the political hustings, pre and post-election day 2020 constitute the most bizarre period of our modern epoch.
An unhappy feature of this last several weeks has been the pronouncements by letter writers and statements, by some of my friends pointing fingers without credible evidence.
Often time, one gentleman, of course, talks about rigging.
In each and every case, no credible evidence but relying on fake-news churned out by an extremely affective PR establishment.
We listened insinuations that the President has been violating the Constitution. Those soothsayers must be specific and quote from our Constitution what articles are being compromised.
Those of us with experience since Universal Adult Suffrage in 1953 will know that GECOM was established as an agreement by the major political parties as an independent entity, and so it is. If therefore, GECOM has made a misstep or as the old people say, ‘messed up,’ this could not be blamed on any one external to GECOM.
Those who demanded the absolute independence of GECOM, ‘can’t have their cake and eat it.’ For me, the 2020 election was launched on an unhappy note, using a list of electors that was clearly bloated. Where else could you have a population of 750,000 and a Voters’ list with 600,000 voters?
As I understand it, the principled members of the coalition wanted house-to-house registration completed but GECOM aborted the process.
All those who now shout and point fingers ought to know that an election with a bloated list offers the opportunity for corrupt practices on Election Day, particularly, where in some areas, a certain political party is dominant.
Those last few hours on Election Day where observers would have retired for their coffee break, that is where the skulduggery takes place.
Where we have seen votes cast for a particular party was more that the total number of voters, in certain voting centres.
Based on my experience, I drew this to the attention of certain Officials and suggested that these observers concentrate their attention in certain parts of Guyana. I witnessed in an area in Georgetown, near to my residence, an observer, much older than I am, and who appeared to be feeble, but could pontificate after March 2. But even worse, was the fulmination of foreigners who keep forgetting that we became an independent sovereign state in 1966. These folks somehow, feel that they can treat us in the same way that the estate overseers treated my adult ancestors – calling them pejoratively as ‘boys.’
They forgot that ‘Massa Day’ done.
One irritating example was when the Canadian High Commissioner could improperly storm into a Meeting of GECOM attempting to tell the commissioners how to do their work. We must not ignore the fact that the antecedents of this diplomat is from India and that she spends a lot of her time at the Everest Sports Club (formerly, East Indian Cricket Club) is of some significance, and as a proud Guyanese, I cannot avoid the perception, a tinge of racism by this diplomat representing her country.
Canada and Guyana have always enjoyed friendly and respectful relations.
Speaking for myself, I don’t have to be afraid to tell this ambassador, she has over-stepped protocol and as one of our elders said before we got Independence, “this confounded nonsense must stop.” If she has the power to block any Visa application to Canada, it wouldn’t matter one hoot to me. I can spend the rest of my life in sunny Guyana and continue to make efforts to yield not peel and to help mend not rend the slender of our Afro, Indo Community.
So easy for me, because my wife is the product of these two groups of gallant, gracious Guyanese. We must not encourage those who, or otherwise, try to rend and not mend.
I am yet to hear from those who now write and are critical of the government, anything about the assault on our sovereignty and independence of GECOM. We have not heard a word from these honourable gentlemen about the assault by Mr. Yearwood on a diminutive Afro-Guyanese female, not a word on the attack of the school bus, not a word from the cutlass yielding activist who threatened police officers, not a word when the top brass of a particular political party promised to ‘deal’ with the two female police officers, who were merely carrying out their duties at the GECOM Office.
The last threat I heard, saying that if “President Granger swear in, he will be followed and harassed. This reminds me of what a young family friend and former Colonel in the USA Army, Brian Chin, said to me in a different context, that some may have the intention but not the capability. Let us have peace, let GECOM do its work as an independent entity and settle down to face tomorrow.
Regards,
Hamilton Green
