A glimpse at the troubled landscape of 2020

Dear Editor,
Every Guyanese would look back at 2020 with a high degree of reluctance and cynicism, with disdain and anger; but would also view 2020 as a year that wound down with hope and great expectation for a bright future for all. Political intrigues certainly took centre stage, and dictated life for what it was during the period.
2020 was a most eventful year, January to the end of July will go down as the most painful path in Guyana’s history. For generations to come, President Granger and his APNU/AFC rogue, ransom-seeking team that occupied the seat of Government would be scornfully held responsible.
This writing only captures a snippet of the troubled landscape of 2020. The general reflection only focuses on the five months, March 2nd to August 2nd, that climaxed the heartless extremes of the Granger administration; when Guyana was made to stand still, and life came to a grinding halt as everyone waited with bated breath for GECOM Chair, Madame Claudette Singh, to declare the winner of the March 2nd, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
But the messy truth attributed to the APNU/AFC is the fact that trouble stalked this beautiful land quite some time before. Records and events will prove that life became a total nightmare the day APNU/AFC took office in 2015. As the bunch of unscrupulous, vengeful politicians grabbed authority by the thinnest of margins, Granger and his power-obsessed operatives imposed their destructive will on the people with a vendetta of revenge for keeping the PNC out of office for 23 years. So, that’s the tale of their tyrannical reign, and the ensuing hardships that destined the Guyanese nation.
Their racially-charged agenda was set in motion, one ethnic grouping was targeted and thousands were sent on the breadline. the Wales Sugar Estate was closed to send a clear message to one section of the Guyanese population. The old PNC was back in power with a vengeance, Granger’s expressed view of Burnham’s dream was at work. The visionless cabal embarked on a spending spree in favour of their backers and themselves. The once robust economy buckled under mismanagement, and worsened with each passing day.
Hope became rife for a change of Government after the successful passing of the celebrated No Confidence Motion against the Granger Administration on the 21st December, 2018. It downgraded the unreformed PNC-led APNU/AFC to a caretaker status, but that was not to be. The Constitution was placed under their feet as they squatted in Government as if nothing had happened.
With options running out and international pressure mounting, Granger was forced to call elections. The historic March 2nd, 2020 Elections showed the PPP/C winning by thousands of votes. With the abuse of the Court system, several approaches were made as a delaying tactic. The Granger Administration stayed put. If their preceding atrocities were not enough, they went on a rampage, dishing out contracts worth billions of dollars and giving away large acreage of lucrative lands to their friends and cronies.
With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc across the world, not sparing the hapless Guyanese nation, the GECOM recount was set in motion. The PPP/C margin of victory gained additional votes. Court battles again were the recourse of the illegal Granger merry men.
The international partners stood up for Guyana’s constitutional form of Government. The ABCE countries were outstanding in this regard, providing a positive platform for change and for elected rule.
Finally, and profoundly so, the Guyanese people remain the true winners. On the 2nd August, 2020, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali was sworn in as the 9th Executive President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. The outpouring of relief was unstoppable. Having witnessed the ‘Sanctimonious Gangster’ and his wicked cabal used every conceivable devious tactic to delay the final declaration of a winner for the 2nd March, 2020 General and Regional Elections, very few expected it to end that most memorable Sunday, 2nd August, 2020.
As the news broke of Madam GECOM Chair’s declaration, all Guyana at home and in the diaspora were glued to their TVs and every social media platform to witness the big moment. Emotions flowed, many with tears of joy in their eyes could not believe their ears as Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali recited the Oath of Office. The end of a disastrous era had come.
Indeed, the PPP/C hit the ground running; the Irfaan Ali Government spared no time in convening the Parliament and passing a budget. Despite the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is gaining momentum. Life has returned to normalcy and hope has been restored.
Meanwhile, the power-obsessed Harmon and company have taken ownership of the rogue elements at the GECOM, the elections riggers, and have embarked on a campaign of spreading race hate. Their thirst and greed for power propelled them into misguided abuse of their all-weather supporters, setting them up for the fall. They are viewed as collateral damage to a means of achieving an elusive dream. The racist DNA of the PNC is in full flow as they rush to represent the Haitians’ issue.
But alas, Harmon can go shout hoarse from a mountain top, no sane person will listen to a deposed relic. Everyone, including the PNC and the conspiratorial APNU/AFC, knows the petition is doomed, but it is meant to fool their supporters and keep them riled up for creating mayhem at some point.
With that aside, there is no more time to reminisce. Forward we go at full throttle towards an exciting 2021. It is time to move on in haste with judicious commitment. 2020 has seen His Excellency President Mohamed Irfaan Ali embark on a Government for all the people of Guyana.

Respectfully,
Parasram Persaud