–Attorney-General says; stresses that Guyana must never endure these circumstances again

ALTHOUGH Guyana is now on a more transformative path, the imbroglio which the nation experienced at the hands of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) during 2020 must never be forgotten or repeated, Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. has said.

Nandlall, in a recent interview, reflected on how the country was in a gridlock for months after votes were cast on March 2, 2020, as the APNU+AFC and its affiliates attempted to undermine the will of the people.

He said over 100 governments from around the world had condemned those attempts, and the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections further exposed the blatant actions of the coalition.

Owing to the situation during that period, the Attorney-General emphasised that democracy is the lifeblood of a nation and its impact could either make or break a country.

For instance, in the 28 years of control by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), a senior party of the APNU, Guyana was plunged into a state of bankruptcy, Nandlall said.

It has been widely reported that Former President and PNCR Leader Forbes Burnham, in coalition with the small opposition United Force, snatched political power from the PPP in the 1964 elections and the PNCR remained in office through rigged elections until 1992.

As he continued to explain how the lack of democracy negatively affected Guyana, the Minister of Legal Affairs stressed: “We must never endure that again.”

Under the governance of the PPP/C, Guyana’s transformation has been unparalleled, and this reality cannot be dismissed by even the most major critic.

However, an analysis of what is going on in Venezuela depicts what happens when democracy is trampled upon, the Attorney-General pointed out.

He said: “Even before this election, over 10 million refugees have fled Venezuela and are begging a livelihood across the globe. Look at what is going on in Venezuela, a lack of free and fair elections.”

Nandlall related that the attempts to manipulate the results of the 2020 General and Regional Elections, at the time, was spelling trouble for Guyana, as both international and regional bodies were gearing up to treat the nation in a particular manner.

“This is a global village that we live in. There is no one country that can survive international sanctions,” Nandlall related, while pointing out that Guyana’s booming investment climate would not have been as it is today if democracy was not allowed to prevail.

He later said: “We would not have had peace and stability in the country because the Guyanese population had made it clear that they are not going to live under undemocratic rule…They said that openly…”
However, despite all of these events unfolding and the Opposition facing a tremendous loss of trust from the Guyanese people, their recent internal party elections have not changed the minds of the citizens, Nandlall said.

From the inception, the PNCR’s own members objected to the congress as there were numerous allegations of irregularities that placed a dark cloud over the party.

And even as time progressed and the party geared up for its opening ceremony on June 28, those who challenged the leadership “suspended” their campaigns because of the lack of transparency, among other allegations of infractions.

What was even more shocking is that despite painting the PNCR as a political party with an increasing membership, the party was caught red-handed as the number of delegates constantly changed.
The people, in 2020, went to the polls and peacefully gave a mandate to the PPP/C to govern.

Guyanese, after casting their votes, had to endure a five-month wait for the results of the General and Regional Elections as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

During this time, the patience of the electorate was tested, as electors observed what was described as attempts by the then APNU+AFC administration to rip the democratic fabric of the nation, with “delay tactics” which were openly criticised by a wide section of society.

It was only after the legal challenges and international intervention that a national recount of all votes cast was convened and the figures showed that the PPP/C received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC Coalition got 217,920 votes.