WE have editorialised many times before that the PPP was never interested in an honest recount of the votes cast at the March 2 elections. Having made serious allegations of fraud which have led to the long delay in announcing the results, one would assume that more than anyone, the PPP would want an honest verification of all the votes. But as we have come to realise over the last three weeks, this is not what the opposition party and its supporters want. On the contrary, they want to bully GECOM to declare them the winner, even though the declarations by the 10 districts show that the coalition has won. We must salute GECOM, especially Madam Chairperson for resisting those efforts.

GECOM and President Granger have done all they can to ensure that there is a recount aimed at answering the charges of fraud. Both the president and GECOM’s Chair, Justice Singh, have even been accused in some quarters of violating the law in their pursuit of transparency. Madam Chair gave her word to the court. She has lived up to her word.

Does this look like a person who wants to rig elections? Yet, she is being demonised and terrorised by the PPP, to the point where her life has been threatened. What the PPP is doing to that woman should be recorded for the world to see and for later generations of Guyanese to study. But it seems that sections the private media are in collusion with the PPP. One publication refused to give prominence to her charges of death threats. The PPP and their friends will stop at nothing, it seems.

President Granger invited CARICOM Heads of State to come to Guyana to see for themselves. They came and they saw that the coalition has nothing to hide. He later got Jagdeo to agree to invite CARICOM to send a team to observe the recount. He had to pull back once the matter got to the courts. But not to be daunted, he recently overruled the COVID-19 Task Force by relaxing the requirements so that the CARICOM team can get here as quickly as possible. He even agreed to make it possible to extend the workday outside the confines of the curfew.

Does this look like a man who is rigging an election? No, the President must instead be commended for doing everything possible to ensure that GECOM answers the PPP’s charges of fraud. Yet his reputation is being dragged through the mud by the opposition parties led by the PPP. In the face of a daily carnival of lies, we feel compelled to tell the truth. When left unanswered, lies become poisonous.

After overcoming many delaying tactics and unreasonable demands by the PPP, GECOM is ready to begin the recount. But, alas, Freedom House is now throwing a fresh set of tantrums. Like a spoilt child who always wants his way, they are now trying to back out of the process. They are predicting all kinds of sinister outcomes. The fact is that the PPP called for the recount. They said it would prove that they are the winners. In the interest of fairness they must remain at the table. You do not get to cry fraud and then run away when it is time to prove your case.

While we are mindful that declarations have already been made for the 10 administrative regions, we support a thorough recount in the interest of fairness. But that does not mean that such a recount should be subject to the PPP’s arbitrariness. GECOM should not be treated as such, it’s not an arm of the PPP or any other party. We stand with Justice Singh in her most recent decisions regarding the modalities for the recount. A recount is a serious matter—it is not a freak show.

The question is this: why is the PPP retreating from a recount which it has been championing all along? Clearly, it is afraid of what a real recount would unearth. The casual recount of only the Region Four boxes and the use of the doctored PPP SOPs as symbols of truth have been rightly rejected. That was what the PPP wanted to the recount to be about. Failure to secure that condition has sent Mr. Jagdeo and his troops looking for new forms of destabilisation. Guyana must stand ready to block those efforts.

Finally, we take very seriously the reported threats against the lives of Madam Chairman and other GECOM officials. We have had our experiences of brazen assassinations under the PPP. We therefore call on the security forces to step up their efforts to protect public workers at GECOM and other related institutions. We have enough stress on our plates already.