Dear Editor,

THE nation is saddened by the recent brutal and unnecessary murder of 10-year-old Anthony Cort of Sophia, Georgetown. As we share the pain and unfillable void created in the soul of his parents and loved ones, we must endeavour to continuously support, ensuring that the perpetrators are made to face the full consequences of our laws.
Our failure in such pursuits is like promoting the daylight bandits and murderers who miscarry our nation, and definitively exacerbates the wanton erosion of the basic level of protection that our citizens should be guaranteed. One, therefore, must responsibly adopt the mindset and posture of assurance that these societal undercurrents will never be permitted.

The attempts at the rape of our entire nation’s security through some manipulated staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must be treated with equal or even greater consternation. This, since it would have contributed to the environment for a more broad-based level of fuelled, explosive lawlessness if controlling interventions were not put in place from outside of the GECOM setting.
I vividly recalled on elections night of 2nd March, 2020, an occurrence at the Polling Station # 412235B (A-Z) opposite the Windsor Estate sugarcane fields Eccles- Ramsburg came under attack. It was after 6 PM with polling closed, when a silly but serious incident took place. As I look at the face and size of young Anthony Cort, I vividly recall the fear of that night when our assigned polling agent’s request in keeping with his ‘Rights” to seal the ballot box, and receive a signed copy of the Statements of Poll.

The GECOM presiding officer who turned out to be a known PNC activist created an ugly scene and the polling booth was quickly blocked by known PNC activists who tried to prevent the smooth completion of the process. They went at length to lock the young polling agent in the building and threatened to kill him. As we requested to take the polling agent out of the building, the small but raucous crowd went wild. However, our external security asserted themselves and the matter was resolved peacefully.
The need to curb such escalations is not unique to this area, but certainly as a result of encouraging infiltration of GECOM which must be cleansed. We as a nation have witnessed through the lens of our televisions, some of the chosen staff in action at the Ashmin’s Building and also from the headquarters in Kingston following the High Court’s instructions to Clairmont Mingo. Guyanese must never again allow the likes of these people to attempt to thwart our collective will.

It took a special brand of maturity in leadership for this nation to survive the onslaught unleashed at these elections by the PNC and their acolytes in the infiltrated secretariat. One must, therefore, applaud the sound approach of the PPP, particularly Dr. Bharat Jagdeo’s influence over the ‘exemplary, peaceful assertiveness’ demonstrated to the world during the gruelling five-month ordeal of frustration and suffering. It was indeed admirable and strategic, although painstaking to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the PNC cabal’s desperation to stay in government.
Astute leadership maturity was indeed the key to Guyana’s survival and success. Certainly, the emerged Guardians of Democracy and some youthful exuberance were running out of patience and this offered a greater threat of our people faltering to the PNC’s plan to create a state of emergency before the results of the elections could be properly finalised.

The ‘Jagdeo” leadership was, however, able to carefully control all attempts of violence. Today, Guyana’s struggle is an example to the world of the positive result that can be realised from a peaceful approach. Hence, the electoral victory in Guyana can and will be emulated globally.
Notwithstanding, as the only country where the electorate had to wait for five long and frustrating months for the declaration of elections results, is indeed an abomination that must never be allowed to re-occur. Consequently, the Guyana Elections Commission must take all the necessary actions to cleanse the staff at GECOM.

There must be no space for the riggers or place for those who had their knees on the necks of our people for five long months. Against the myriad allegations and reports of fraudulent practices ongoing at the hands of persons in the secretariat, it is a misnomer that those persons are still on the payroll of GECOM.
It is on record that after all the hurdles before 2nd March, 2020, on March 7th, 2020 the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield flouted the court order regarding the approach for the verification approach to be applied. Tougher times were realised when on April 1st, 2020, APNU+AFC commissioners tried to push through Lowenfield’s report that included “fake Results.” On April 8th, 2020, Lowenfield’s timeline for the agreed recount of the votes agreed by the commission, proposed to delay finalising of elections results until September 2020. It was more serious and unacceptable when on July 11th, 2020, Keith Lowenfield refused to comply with the GECOM Chairperson’s instructions.

In the decisive actions of July 13th, the 10 district declarations made before the national recount were set assertively aside by the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission. These were previously held in abeyance and included the blatant and proved fraudulent reports by Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo.
Further, the GECOM Chairperson made it clear that the “Fraudulent Reports” submitted to the commission by the embattled Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield was set aside and requested the reports based on the results of the recount. For the umpteenth time, Lowenfield reneged, while providing frivolous reasons as he held our people to ransom in concert with the PNC.

The decision to instruct Lowenfield was arrived at after GECOM’s Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh, held a meeting to discuss the CEO’s conduct following the submission of the fraudulent report on July 11th, 2020. Lowenfield was given another deadline of 14:00hrs on July 14th, 2020. It was deadline after deadline!
On August 2nd, 2020, a date to be remembered, Keith Lowenfield was instructed to produce the results to GECOM by 10:00hrs. He failed and the last chance was given up to 14:00hrs (2 pm) by the assertive Claudette Singh, to produce the results obeying the instructions of the commission, contrary to his previous “lone ranger” avocations in keeping with the High Court’s ruling. How can the Chairperson of GECOM still have this ‘Lone Ranger’ in office?
Keith Lowenfield’s unpardonable sins remain indelible like the bandits’ who shot young Anthony Cort. The chairperson and the commission must remove all such persons from their employ and place the discussion of Local Government Elections on the agenda.

Yours sincerely,

Neil Kumar