APNU/AFC continues to encourage racial hostilities

Dear Editor,
The aftermath of the March 02,2020 General and Regional Elections were ordeals that have disgraced the citizens of Guyana; stained our country’s image; trampled on our democracy; and damaged Guyana’s reputation in the international community, including among the Caricom member states, the Commonwealth of Nations and the OAS.
This was followed by leaders of the Coalition questioning foreign intervention by the ABC and EU diplomats and claiming that diplomats supported the PPP/C. The fact is that the APNU/AFC leaders were too preoccupied with trying to rig and overturning the true elections’ result to remain in power. The APNU/AFC declared victory days after the vote, but international electoral observers said counting in Guyana’s most populous electoral district, Region Four, had been “interrupted” and was “incomplete”.
Preliminary data suggested the People’s Progressive Party Civic had won the election, but the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) did not declare Dr Ali as the winner until Sunday, August 02, 2020.
The current GECOM structure, which comprises three commissioners from each of the two main political parties, means that the agency would be at an impasse in its decision-making process, given the fact that the commissioners are more likely to represent their party’s interest. Election laws must be amended to hold the staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) accountable, and amendments must be done to our election laws and systems to make the electoral process more credible and transparent, and to hold the staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to a higher standard than what was displayed in 2020.
After seven months in office, the PPP/C Government should have established a Commission of Inquiry into the 2020 elections. The delay on such an important issue is uncalled for, as one must never forget that there were at least three declarations for District Four, with all of them showing a win for A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). However, a recount of the votes showed that the results were almost identical to the Statements of Poll showed by the People’s Progressive Party /Civic, with clear evidence that Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield; Deputy Chief Elections Officer Roxanne Myers; Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo; Information Technology Officer Enrique Livan and Registration Officer Sheffern were all attempting to rig the result of the election, which resulted in all of them being charged with electoral fraud offences in February 2021.
Needless to say, the leaders of the Coalition, including the former President, were warned on several occasions by the Western diplomats, especially the US, that their actions would result in severe consequences. To date, even in Opposition, the APNU/AFC continue to fool their supporters that they won the March 2nd 2020 elections, but up to now they can’t show their supporters and the Guyanese people their Statements of Poll, even one year after the March 02,2020 General and Regional Election. The APNU/AFC continue to try hard to encourage racial hostilities in this country which the Guyanese people have continued to reject.
While President Dr Irfaan Ali continues to call on leaders to foster unity among the people, saying discord is the greatest challenge to our development, the disharmony among Guyanese citizens cannot be ignored as Guyana embarks on transformational development and is committed to preserving its democracy and working in the best interest of all Guyanese, regardless of race, political affiliation, or social and economic standing. The people of Guyana will be governed with affection, without discrimination, and with every attention to fairness and equity.
As President Dr Irfaan Ali promised every Guyanese, “I will not see a nation divided by ethnicity; I will see a nation cemented in unity. This land of Guyana is our common homeland; it is our common heritage, and every citizen within it is equal and will be treated equally.” He said this as he called on all Guyanese at home and abroad to join to peacefully transition the country to a pathway of economic and social development.
Our PPP/C Government intends to fulfill the pledges made in the Manifesto on which it contested the 2020 General and Regional Elections. Fulfilling those pledges will be the collaborative and consultative relationships with various stakeholders, including the private sector, which will see Guyana becoming a hub of economic activity. However, we must not forget the painful trauma and anguish the people of Guyana endured during the five months after March 02 2020 as the APNU/AFC made vigorous attempts to destroy our democratic credentials and deny the will of the Guyanese people.
Finally, let me recognise and thank local supporters and stakeholder; those in the diaspora; Caricom; and in the international community for “staying alert” with the people of Guyana and People’s Progressive Party Civic during those “dark days “of Guyana’s General and Regional Elections, leading up to the final results.
Today, Guyanese are proud to have Dr Irfaan Ali as Guyana’s ninth Executive President.

Sincerely,
David Adams