Dear Editor,

AS another election year approaches, there is increased activity from all the political entities to convince the electorate that they are the best choice. The choice, in my humble opinion, is simple. I will present my case.
The current government, which continues to tirelessly trumpet its virtues and is not taking anything for granted, has very little to prove to the objective among us. It is as clear as day. There is unparalleled vision in its ranks. A higher percentage of us are existing in greater comfort than under the previous administration.

The accelerated pace of development at present is staggering, particularly when juxtaposed with the exasperating days of indecision, incompetence, instability and inertia under A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
A sense of purpose now pervades our society. There is positivity, because the promises of hope are being presented in realistic fashion by the leaders of the incumbent administration. Unlike the fanciful thinking and inauthentic assurances of the David Granger-led coalition.
There aren’t the repeated cries of the unemployed these days. Opportunities are at literally at every corner. The pursuit of success is more spirited. Even the immigrants who are flocking our land have seamlessly fit into the plotted course and adopted the mindset that hope springs eternal in such environments.
Of course, I speak not of a Utopian existence, but the core of our society has gained a stability that needs not be unnecessarily tampered with, particularly by those whose only interests are selfish.
How else can one describe the shameless race-baiting that serves as the Opposition’s solitary method of attracting support? There is an absence of substance; no discernible effort to provide the upliftment vital to inculcating the fundamental values of a 21st century society into our daily lives.
There is unconcealed opportunism among their leaders. The two main protagonists – Messrs. Aubrey Norton and Nigel Hughes – are blinded by dreams of unimaginable perquisites and unbridled power.
Neither will move aside, strategically, in order to present a formidable challenge to President Irfaan Ali. Thus, the road to a coalition is fraught with uncertainty. Guyana has no room for uncertainty anymore. That bus has left the station since August 2, 2020. And that date provides the perfect segue into the primary reason why the choice is simple.

It was five months prior that premature celebration had erupted in the streets after Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo (who has since flamed out in infamy) declared the results for Region Four, a tabulation that placed incumbent President David Granger as the winner of the March 2 general election. The use of a bedsheet in place of a spreadsheet left the country at its lowest ebb.

This abomination was succinctly described by former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Mr. Bruce Golding, who at the time was Head of the OAS observer mission to the election. He told the OAS Permanent Mission that:
“Principal among these (issues that undermined the process) were the actions of the Returning Officer in abandoning the use of the statements of poll (SOPs) in the presence of the authorised party representatives, and to rely instead on a spreadsheet of unknown origin which provided results that were significantly different than on the SOPs…

“I have never seen a more transparent effort to alter the result of an election…You know it takes an extraordinarily courageous mind to present fictitious numbers when such a sturdy paper trail exists.”
The subsequent five-month humiliation will never be erased from the memories of the decent and law-abiding citizens. And we have faced immeasurable irresponsibility in equal measure to Mingo’s folly hand-eye antics, with the utterances of the Opposition’s main representatives, in relation to statements of poll.

It isn’t rocket science for one to determine the victorious party if the SOPs are expertly scrutinized and the data tabulated. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic presented its 2,339 SOPs without an iota of drama. We are yet to lay eyes on any of APNU+AFC’s. Current Presidential aspirant, Mr. Norton, provided us with the precursor to this when he posited:

“My party has its Statements of Poll. It is for its use, and it has to decide strategically and tactically when it releases it. And if we made a decision that we don’t want to release it, that’s our strategic position, and we have no apologies for it.”
Well, Mr. Norton, you can keep your imaginary SOPs. The international community oversaw a lawful transition and set the wheels of progress in motion for a future Guyana. The Irfaan Ali-led administration has grabbed the steering wheel and achieved unprecedented progress.

The options before us are clear: New and improved highways, byways, and other infrastructure; affordable healthcare, housing, and state-of-the-art facilities; better-quality education for all, continued modernization of law enforcement and the disciplined services, freedom of speech and movement, among other tangible forms of progress…..or conversely, a return to 2a.m. curfews; immediate salary increases for government ministers; billion-dollar white elephants  such as Durban Park and Presidents’ Park; renting of private properties for exorbitant amounts; empty promises of “the better life for all” and “better must come”.
There are stark differences between the two choices. Guyana is on the right track; we’re not going back! I rest my case.
Yours Faithfully,
Sherwin Crandon