THE mid-term Local Government Elections (LGEs) are over; the results are without doubt, and the nation exhales. Not that there was any doubt as to which alliance would win and lose, nor was it a case of a possible close call, as it was clear long before the election bell actually rang that Guyanese had made their minds up to ensure continuity.

That much was clear from the moment the Opposition started resorting to the usual tricks-of-trade by seeking and finding legal and constitutional reasons to justify seeking a delay in the elections, but in the interest of democracy, the Elections Commission and the governing party agreed to the requested postponement.

But more time didn’t benefit the Opposition as it was simply unable to turn the tide of public opinion that had long turned against it since the 2020 electoral debacle that shamed the entire nation and all right-thinking Guyanese everywhere.

The results clearly show that the growing support for the government and ruling party also crossed partisan political boundaries, eating into traditional opposition bases in ways and to extents like never before.

Evidence of the effectiveness of the ruling alliance’s campaign was best seen in the opposition’s reaction and especially the verbose way its leaders attacked, vilified and verbally abused the men and women in their ranks who exercised their democratic right to tell the party they supported most of their lives they’d had enough of its penchant to expect them to simply oppose the government and await regime change.

As Guyanese citizens with equal rights as their leaders to want to see and feel the benefits of their party in office like everyone else, those who chose to proverbially cross the floor were all disappointed with their party and took the mature decision to stand up, not just for themselves but for Guyana.

Those who left the opposition to join ranks with the governing alliance did so on the basis of their certainty that this government’s performance over the past two years and 10 months benefitted Guyana and Guyanese more than the previous administration did between 2015 and 2020.

With the benefit of hindsight, they weighed the differences and came to the common conclusion that their party wasn’t and still isn’t ready for consideration as an alternative government.
They saw and felt and are still benefitting from the growing and widening spread of the nation’s resources being put to work for the national good, while setting the stage that’s made Guyana what it is today as the fastest growing world economy, the fourth largest offshore oil producer and the new global energy frontier.

Guyana’s reputation has also been rescued and restored by this administration, which has taken time off to recalibrate national policy in the direction of more south-south cooperation and better ties with our Caribbean neighbours.

This administration has made Guyana proud over the past 34 months and the results show Guyanese overwhelmingly decided to reaffirm the mandate they gave it in 2020, with many also standing their grounds in the face of insults from back-stabbing former partisan comrades-in-arms.

Guyanese decided to extend their trust in the ruling party and alliance by allowing the latter to take their better handling of the nation’s business to the towns, villages and communities across the length and breadth of Guyana.

Now the nation has exhaled; it’s for the government to ensure the continuity citizens voted for continues to be reflected in their communities through introduction and implementation of the policies and projects at local levels in like manner as the whole nation has experienced since August 2, 2020.