IT is now abundantly clear that the PPP never intended to have an honest recount of the votes cast at the March 2 general and regional elections. In the first instance, that party never intended to have an honest election period. From the no-confidence motion to the voters list to the count of the votes, the PPP had a well-crafted plan to steal the elections right under the noses of unsuspecting observers. All along they used the judicial branch of government as cover for their sinister plan. They also enlisted the help of sections of the private media, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and other prominent individuals in their elaborate scheme to rob the Guyanese people of their innocence.
As with such scenarios, it took the rest of the country a little while to realise what was being done in their name and to their country. From the moment of May 2015, the PPP set about to reclaim what they think is their birthright. While the coalition was busy trying to clean up the mess they inherited, the PPP was equally busy plotting the coup that only became evident on that shocking night in December 2018. The coalition fought back, but the plot was already thick. Perhaps what fooled the rest of the country was the mask of democracy which the PPP at all times brandished as authentic democracy.
When on March 4, they didn’t get their way, they resorted to naked violence at GECOM’s command centre. The brazen hooliganism was as surprising as it was vile. GECOM had to fight against the thuggery of a group of people who were prepared to destroy their country in their quest for power. Ever since then, they have targeted that body for a persistent diet of intimidation. As one commentator opined in this publication, they have held a gun to GECOM’s head.
How can one speak of free and fair elections when one side is instilling fear in the umpires? This is the fundamental question of now? GECOM has been playing by the rules; the coalition has been following best practices, but the PPP and their acolytes in so-called civil society and the new parties have been breaking all the rules and norms of democratic engagement. They ordered violence against children on March 6; they exploited the unfamiliarity of foreign observers with the local dynamics; they manipulated the judicial process; and worst of all, they have encouraged the curse of sanctions on their country if they do not prevail.
Now we come to the recount. Jagdeo and the other PPP leaders are kicking and screaming for the recount to be hastily done. They have cited the pending deadline for convening parliament as the reason for the haste. But as Attorney General Basil Williams has pointed out, there is no threat of constitutional crisis if the recount is not completed by April 30. The only crisis that threatens on April 30 is the one the PPP plans on that date. It would not be surprising if the PPP were to call out their goons on that day to assault the peace. It would not be surprising if they again invade GECOM’s counting centre to stop the recount. Nothing is beyond this group.
These are desperate times for a desperate party which is prepared to destroy the fabric of our society in their quest to dominate Guyana. We must be resolute in the face of this naked political aggression . GECOM must be protected. Our Guyana must be protected. In the moment of COVID-19 the citizens must be protected from the bigger plague in the form of a rampaging cabal which stops at nothing. The state must protect the nation; the real rule of law must stand up and be counted.
This publication stands in solidarity with GECOM for doing what is right and necessary. We stand on the side of transparency, no matter if it takes a little longer than usual. There is a lot at stake. Whatever happens we must get the recount right. Why have a recount if it’s just a beauty contest to affirm the PPP’s distorted beauty? No, we must not surrender another inch to those who have taken advantage of the political maturity of the Guyanese people and the coalition partners.
They have manipulated our institutions enough. They have poured scorn on suggestions for national reconciliation. They have threatened mayhem if they lose. They have gone way too far across the line. The pending recount is not a beauty contest to affirm their distortions. It is a serious exercise meant to affirm Guyana’s electoral and political integrity
