Dear Editor,
This writer, one of the vigilant public-monitoring stakeholders, maintains a tracker on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) operations. This critical focus cannot be underscored, given the high-stake demand for transparency and fairness for acceptable governance determination under the rule of law.

GECOM’s role and obligations in conducting the elections of governing officials at the local and national levels are central to supporting our constitutionally enshrined democratic principles and, therefore, ought not to be manipulated in the exercise of any unfair practice in favor of any specific interest group. Instead, our citizens expect the organisation to dutifully comply with the spirit and intent of the applicable legislation in executing its functions to ensure acceptable results of elections that are transparent and fair when completed.

The appropriateness of the preceding is relevant given the known objectionable and characteristic behavior of the PNC-led Opposition to achieve power by ‘any means.’ Our history of the PNC’s involvement in conflicting elections matters, and their persistent attempts to create unfair advantages through clandestine manipulative influences imbue their record concerning the many cycles of elections for decades.

The recent March 2020 elections debacle provides a stark reminder of their apparent contemptuous association with attempts to deploy sinister practices. Some PNC’s and APNU’s senior officials’ blatant public involvement in defending highly fraudulent practices by now condemned and charged GECOM officials who violently abused privileges, bare witness. There is also previous solid and current evidence of the PNC’s bias to influence electoral results by manipulating GECOM staff wherever possible, and these emphasise testimony and justifications for one to keep connected with every rolled-out activity.

Editor, it is noteworthy that the GECOM’s continuous registration cycle, currently in process, is attracting our citizens’ attention and responses. Many persons are visiting the GECOM offices around the country, seeking to update their records by applying for transfers to ensure proper registration in their Local Authority Area. At the same time, our qualifying youths are also remarkably busy getting their names registered to get their national Identification cards.

This process will enable GECOM to prepare an updated Register of Registrants to facilitate holding any elections when necessary. It is equally essential for GECOM to be fully prepared to hold constituency elections whenever the circumstance necessitates the same. At the Local Authority Levels, municipalities, Neighborhood Democratic and Village Councils must replace councillors lost by attrition or any other means to maintain an influential representative position. The procedure includes bi-elections in some cases and must be speedy and reflective of an updated voting population for fairness.

We must never forget the international risks associated with threats to democracy since these conflict with the central pillar on which most countries with whom Guyana shares relations. The world viewed the scenario as the PNC-led APNU attempting to impose itself upon the Guyanese people, despite being aware that they had lost the March 2020 General and Regional Elections. Their criminal partners were corrupt GECOM officials, and after keeping their knees on the necks of the Guyanese nation for five months, they would not have budged without the intervention of and rejection by the international community.

One recognises that the preceding undemocratic practices are rejected in most countries globally. Further, the realised obligations from treaties and agreements entered into by states are conditional on upholding democratic tenets. Naturally, contrary actions have resulted in decisive punitive deterring outcomes. One widely circulated example is the recent court cases in the United States of America concerning former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Elections. The Justice Department is now acting to hold him accountable for the unprecedented effort to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power and threaten American democracy. Former President Donald Trump and many conspirators face legal consequences for their frantic but failed effort to cling to power.

The occurrences in Guyana are no different, and the concerned authorities must bring those who held this nation at ransom for five long months to justice. Our citizens know those charged and placed before the courts for electoral fraud are on the streets. In contrast, the magistrates’ courts appear to be dragging their feet on the trial as if these treasonous breaches were minor offences.
They include former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers, and former Region # 4 RO Clairmont Mingo, who should not be walking freely on the streets because of their actions during those five long months.

The riggers must be penalized because of the need for us to deter such activities and never experience rigging again in this country. The “riggers” and co-conspirators’ actions are ‘nauseating’ and ‘despicable.’ Enabling our people to vote, counting, and certifying the results in any elections must always be transparent and accountable.

Those responsible at the judiciary decision level should act to deter such recurrences, given the national impact and threat to civility. The judiciary must never take such matters lightly. The time is most opportune for this nation to call on the Judicial Service Commission to intervene and let justice prevail in our “Motherland.” The courts must be able to function in the interest of our democracy. These fraud cases are before the magistrate courts for two long years, and there are too many unnecessary delays in ensuring the fraudsters answer for their alleged crimes.
This writer endorses the efforts of GECOM in the continuous registration cycle and calls on all qualifying citizens to get registered. In addition, the people of Guyana call on the judiciary to act now in dealing with the electoral fraudsters.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar