PREDICTABLY, the PPP has cried foul even before the first ballot box of the imminent recount of the votes of the March 2 election is opened. They have threatened to move to the courts yet again, but worse, they have now decided to swear in Irfan Alli as the next president of Guyana if the recount does not lead to an outcome favourable to them. If anyone doubted those who raised the alarm about the nefarious intentions of that party, then the pronouncements referenced above should remove those doubts. The PPP is up to no good; it is hell bent on keeping Guyana in a perpetual state of uncertainty and possible instability until it bullies its way into office.

But there comes a time when principle and the interest of all of the country have to take precedence over narrow and dangerous partisan posturing. That the PPP is now turning its back on the recount it previously championed should not deter GECOM from discharging its responsibilities under the law. The count must proceed without much delay. The CARICOM scrutineers have arrived and GECOM has put most of the arrangements in place for the process to begin. To our CARICOM partners, we say thanks and welcome.

The PPP is angry that it did not get to impose its own rules on GECOM. As we have noted in the past, Mr. Jagdeo and company want to be player, umpire, and jury. Nowhere in the world is that allowed to happen. The law is clear on GECOM’s role and the courts have said equally clearly that that body cannot outsource its constitutional mandate. So, let us get on with the people’s business and relieve Guyana of the uncertainty which the PPP is intent on indefinitely prolonging.

This publication is satisfied that GECOM has put in place the most transparent mechanism to guide the recount. We have said all along that a credible recount must address, in a comprehensive manner, the charges raised by the PPP, the Coalition, and the other political parties. The preference of the PPP to isolate its concerns in Region 4 and ignore the other regions is simply ridiculous. The PPP is not the only contestant. It is undemocratic and downright wrong to have a recount which caters only to the concerns of one party. GECOM has a responsibility to all electors and parties and to the society at large.

Towards that end, we endorse the checklist that GECOM proposes to use. It captures the transparency of the process and should satisfy all stakeholders that GECOM is going the extra mile to ensure the exercise is above board. It is our considered opinion that a matter of this importance should sacrifice expediency for integrity. We find it most inconsistent that forces which are charging GECOM with fraud are simultaneously calling for the process to be recklessly expedited and truncated.

The PPP not only wants a truncated recount as far as the regions are concerned, but also are unhappy with a thorough verification of each ballot. For example, Jagdeo has registered his party’s objection to an examination of the counterfoils. He contends that that would compromise the secrecy of the electoral process and as such is against the law. While he points out that there could be inconsistencies between the number of counterfoils and the number of votes cast, he is prepared to leave that unexamined. The question, as always, is why the reluctance to examine clear areas of potential fraud?

The other inconsistency in Jagdeo’s reasoning relates to his assertion that examining the counterfoils is akin to violating the secrecy of the ballot. This is the person who is nevertheless calling for televising the recount. Isn’t that even more an intrusion into the secrecy of the ballot. The PPP is clearly not interested in consistency. This publication takes a strong position against televising the recount. To do so is to set a precedent that would in the long run be difficult to disentangle from.

Finally, we stand firmly with GECOM in its refusal to discard the existing declarations from the ten regions. It is not just a commonsense decision, but one that is grounded in law. Whatever one may think about the accuracy of those declarations, they are thus far official declarations which have not been struck down by the courts. Commissioner Alexander’s reasoning in that regard is spot on. Let us go through the recount and see what it throws up, before tampering with those declarations. In the end, it is GECOM’s call subject to the law and the constitution. To the PPP, we say your slip is showing.