THE APNU+AFC coalition continues to refer to the PPP/C administration an ‘installed regime’, despite overwhelming evidence that the administration won the National and Regional Elections in a fair and transparent manner. The results of the elections were declared in favour of the PPP/C by the Guyana Elections Commission, and the then PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ai was, in keeping with the requirements of the Constitution, sworn in by the Chancellor of the Judiciary as the duly-elected Executive President of Guyana.

No other election in the history of Guyana was subjected to the level of scrutiny and judicial reviews as that of the March 2, 2020 polls. There had been counts and recounts, mainly at the insistence of the APNU+AFC coalition, with the consequential result that a declaration, which, under normal circumstances, would have been concluded in a week’s time was dragged on for over five months before a final declaration was finally made. That was not only unprecedented in the history of our electoral politics, but it will also leave a permanent scar on our body-politic insofar as our electoral process is concerned.

One would have thought that given the level of scrutiny of the validation processes conducted by the Guyana Elections Commission, under the watchful eyes of a CARICOM team of observers and other national and international observers, the integrity and validity of the electoral process would have been accepted by all of the contesting parties. But not the APNU+AFC, which continues to sell a false narrative that the elections were ‘stolen’ by the PPP/C, and, in their opinion, the government that emanated therefrom is ‘illegitimate’.

The Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon and his party cohorts cannot be oblivious to the fact that, as a party, they have failed to obtain the required number of votes to be re-elected to office. Their polling/counting agents would have given them the results of the elections as reflected in the Statements of Poll (SoPs) at the close of poll. These SoPs were signed off by Presiding Officers, and the counting agents of the respective political parties, and the originals kept by the Guyana Elections Commission. As to why GECOM failed to make available verified copies of the SoPs in their possession immediately after the close of poll remains a mystery. It could have erased any doubts as to the authenticity of the results, and put to rest whatever allegations of ballot tampering made by the political opposition.

All of that, however, is now, as it were, water under the bridge. The important thing is for the Guyana Elections Commission to learn from its mistakes, and put in place the necessary measures to ensure that there is no recurrence of that sordid and highly embarrassing episode. The credibility of the GECOM, more particularly its secretariat, as an independent, unbiased and impartial electoral body is critical for the holding of free and fair elections, and it will take some deep and forward-looking thinking on the part of GECOM to erase such a perception from the collective consciousness of the Guyanese electorate.

The APNU+AFC Leader and its entire leadership also need to do some serious introspection to its own credibility and integrity as a political entity. There are many, including some in the leadership of the Coalition, who do not subscribe to the idea of winning at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing truth and integrity on the altar of some perceived political gain.

Harmon, as the Leader of the Opposition, has a responsibility to its membership and, for that matter, the Guyanese people, to come clean and admit to the legitimacy of the current PPP/C administration. This will then open the doors for constructive and, hopefully, fruitful dialogue on the way forward for the country, especially in these trying times.