Dear Editor
“GECOM has the authority to ensure that the evidence they’re using as the basis for the report is credible.” Justice Pollard.

The CARICOM team has submitted its report and we thank them for their time, sacrifices, professionalism and expressed views towards this exercise. It must be noted, however, that the work of the team in my humble view did not achieve the sampling standard for internationally accepted 95 per cent confidence level with a five per cent margin for none of the 10 electoral districts for the number of ballot boxes each region had.

Hence, their scrutiny was lacking and the findings were not as a result of thoroughness that was expected and in essence it cannot have the expressed confidence as was greatly anticipated.

The primary objective of the Gazetted order was to derive a final credible count, it is now very pellucid that cannot be achieved because the processes weren’t credible. The will of the Guyanese people and our democracy cannot be placed on the altar of what is considered “reasonably credible”. 18.8 per cent scrutiny of the total number of boxes for a national recount to determine a government is totally unacceptable.

Mr. Editor, I am no lawyer but I am persuaded that the Constitution of Guyana is not for only this particular group of Guyanese, but it is for anyone who can read and has the ability to comprehend.

In this body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organisation is acknowledged to be governed, states explicitly in chapter 1:01 article 177 (2) b. “Where there are two or more Presidential candidates, if more votes are cast in favour of a list in which a person is designated as a presidential candidate than in favour of any other list that Presidential candidate shall be deemed to be elected as president and shall be so declared by the Chairman of the Elections commission acting “ONLY” in accordance with the “ADVICE” of the Chief Election Officer after such advice has been tendered to the Elections Commission at a duly summoned meeting.”

The very action or decision expected to be made by the Chairman of the Elections Commission has to be guided and based explicitly on the ADVICE/ OPINION of the CEO, which the PPP/C is now claiming, he doesn’t have and it has no material value. This is the most absurd and blatantly flawed. The Chairman, according to the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, cannot on her own volition, make a decision concerning a declaration, without the guidance and prudent advice of the Chief Elections Officer, not CARICOM.

The learned justice is duty-bound to “act only” in accordance with the “advice” of the CEO who is the chief arbiter of these elections. His role to provide his advice is enshrine in the constitution which he cannot abscond or escape from doing. Mr. Editor it is also very explicit in The Representation of the People’s Act where it is pellucidly clear in PART X1, which addresses the Ascertainment of Election Results.

Additionally Mr. Editor, in Article 96 of the Constitution, the  Chief Elections Officer is empowered to” calculate the total “valid” votes of electors cast and thereupon ascertain the results”. This, therefore, means, to discover with certainty as through examination or experimentation. This is what was competently done. What is most unfortunate is that the PPP/C and their cohorts did want to accept this constitutional duty that is expected to be done.

The PPP/C is in denial and dumbstruck that Guyana and the world now know that electoral fraud of abundant proportions was committed in an effort to rob the Guyanese people of free, fair and credible results, putting as risk, the “True Will” of the people and our democracy at stake. Mr. Editor, it can be alleged that by their very actions, before, on and after the elections, the PPP/C has blatantly and intentionally aspired in their endeavors to mislead and deceive the electorate by their consorted efforts to cast aspersions and much suspicion of fraud and electoral misconduct on the Coalition.
But with this national recount, it was revealed and is now self-evident, that in actuality, the revelations of fraud unearthed in all electoral districts and in particular district four were the most glaring of them all, occurred in most of the PPP/C strongholds.

Mr. Editor, in the very district, the PPP/C passionately and convincingly argued that the fraud took place by the coalition with the aid of the now vindicated Mingo.
The CEO’s report is genuinely correct, it was guided by the shreds of evidence captured in the tabulation of all data from those boxes, that all the political parties signed on to and celebrated at the conclusion of this exercise with a coalition picture of themselves.

One is inclined to believe that opposition knew what they did but didn’t expect this magnitude of exposure of their bidding, but now we all know, Guyana and the world knows.

Irony at its best. Their plan to raise their voice the loudest in their accusations about someone else with the expectation that no one would suspect them, especially the inexperienced international community to the Guyanese political experience. The PPP/C has intentionally deceived their supporters, financiers, some members of the PSC, members of the media, some of the PPP/C apologists in our society, such as Joe Singh, Kit Nascimento, Freddie Kissoon, members of the International community, their local representatives and those in the diaspora. The funny thing is that they are still trying to do it again, despite the irrefutable evidence of fraud captured in the CEO’S report with represents the findings of the tabulation and observation findings that their representatives signed on to.

Their plan now is shown in their efforts as they did to the Chairman Justice Claudette Singh, Mr. Mingo, and the DCEO, Ms. Roxanne Myers, to berate, insult and discredit the character and professionalism of the CEO, Mr. Lowenfield. This will not work, we see your game and we are not alone in recognising your plot. You will not be encouraged or be allowed to harm innocent Guyanese and destroy people’s property. You will not be allowed to harm our policemen and shout in the faces and threaten our female officers for doing their work nor will you endanger innocent school children. All in an effort to have your way. No way, enough is enough, Guyanese lives matter, credibility matters, our democracy matters, and the safety and stability of our country matters.

The Chief Election Officer has done his work and it is cast in granite stone, into the annals of GECOM’S history forever. He cannot carry the blame and burden of this now-tainted process. GECOM employed more than 10,000 temporarily-employed staff, including over 2000 presiding officers hired to work on behalf of GECOM of elections day. These workers were trained, took an oath to do honest and decent work in honoring their paid contractual obligations. It is evident some were doing the bidding of the PPP/C that were not in accordance with GECOM’s standard operating procedure for elections day activities. The primary objective of the Gazetted order was to derive a final credible count, it is now very pellucid that cannot be achieved because the processes weren’t credible. As the saying goes GOD doesn’t like ugly.

Regards,
Jermaine Figueira