Dear Editor,
Contrary to popular belief, the term “ghost elections” or “ghosts voting in an election” was not made by the PNC. This was a terminology used by Dr. Cheddi Jagan when he was called upon to give an evaluation of elections held under the PNC in Guyana.
The situation was so disgustingly demonic that Dr. Jagan summed it up as “ghost elections”; and with good reason: because there was firm evidence to prove Dr Jagan right.
Every election was held under a cloud of doubt and suspicion. In the first place, there were no foreign observers to verify the process, and the local so-called observers were all “Yes men” of the PNC Regime, who gave approval to their rigged elections.
Then there was the grand theft of overseas votes, with over 96% of the ballots cast going to the PNC. One classic and most hilarious case was the overseas votes coming from St. Lucia, a tiny island in the Caribbean. Those votes, when tallied, were more than the population of that country. Now, where did those people/votes come from? This is the question we all have to address.
In the British case, the addressees were open fields where no one lived, old train stations and, of course, cemeteries.
On the local scene, persons who died before an election was called also had the grand opportunity to vote. The preferred method was this: at the close of polls, the PNC polling agents would bully the PPP observers out, then vote on the ballot papers for the PNC Party.
Numerous eyewitness accounts exist of disgraceful rigging practices carried out in all areas where the PNC held a majority. The party brag and boast about their prowess in implementing those methods of rigging, Hamilton Green and Norton both having confirmed that the use of dead voters was a method employed by that regime.
The PNC have been caught in the act of rigging, and in their embarrassment, they have in turn mounted a campaign to smear the PPP/C: accusing them of carrying out acts of fraud at election time. Their false pretence has gotten the better of them as they go on these propaganda blitzes. Anyone familiar with the PNC knows fully well that their attempts to attach rigging to the PPP/C is a means of convenience, so crafted to mask their own sordid record of the very same thing. But that will not gain traction in a civilized Guyana.
In closing, there was a period in our history when a “valid vote” was made under the name of a deceased person. This strategy was designed and executed by the PNC. However, I am happy to announce that the despicable system cannot be carried out any more.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Adams
