Dear Editor,

AT this point in our tapestried history, Guyana may be facing the single most serious threat to our democratic credentials in our history. While Guyana has been under oligarchic, dictatorial rule before now, most recently during the reign of the PPP regime which was unceremoniously voted out of office by a disgusted populace in 2015, it is becoming increasingly evident that the PPP, led by the same oligarchs and dictators, is doing everything possible to seize political power, and, possibly, establish an even more brutal dictatorship than existed prior to 2015.

Of course, Guyanese would be aware that the PPP, since losing power, planned and plotted, schemed and conspired to remove the democratically-elected APNU+AFC administration. The conspiracy was activated on December 21, 2018 when a no-confidence vote was placed on the table in Parliament.

After numerous, often frivolous and contradictory court cases, unjustified protests, and other PPP shenanigans, democracy remained the front-runner. As is often the case, good has, so far, triumphed over evil. The PPP’s anti-democratic nature is clear for all to see; their evil plans, though, have, and continue to be defeated.

And now we have reached the point where a recount and forensic audit of the general and regional elections of March, 2, 2020 is being conducted by GECOM, and what is being revealed by the process is a multi-pronged, multi-faceted, systemic, centrally-directed, diabolical scheme by the PPP bosses to illegally acquire political power, not only as an end in itself, but also as a means of getting their hands on Guyana’s natural resources, and on taxpayers’ money.

With the recount at the halfway point at the time of the writing of this article, much has already been revealed about how the criminal enterprise that the PPP has become had planned and connived to rig the elections, undermine Guyana’s democracy, and steal Guyana’s patrimony. It was found that dead people have voted for the PPP, and that people who were overseas on Election Day have voted for the PPP. In PPP strongholds, there were more votes for the PPP than there were actually people. Poll books have been found to be missing, documentary procedures were wantonly violated, and the list goes on.

It may be fair to say at this point that the elections were absolutely not credible, and the process is so flawed, that it was not even remotely democratic. Surprisingly, there has been little, if any, condemnation of the PPP’s actions by the developed countries, which like to represent themselves as the bastions of democracy. That fact is particularly disappointing.
The question now arises: What is GECOM’s margin of error in elections? How much is too much; 10 dead people voting, 100 dead people, 1000? One may also ask when and how does GECOM intend to address the obvious fraud perpetrated by the PPP? Further, in what role, if any, does GECOM see itself as a protector of Guyana’s democracy?

One would remember the days when Guyanese were terrorised and killed by death squads on the land, and by pirates on the high seas. One recalls the abuse of women by ministers of government. Who could forget the assassinations, public threats, open corruption, and brazen muzzling of the press? We must never go back to those dark days; we must protect our democracy with all our might.

Regards,
Mark DaCosta