Dear Editor,
Vishnu Bisram’s letter, “Appeal to Glenn Lall to enter the fray for 2025 Elections as Opposition struggles against PPP,” reeks of nonsensical. I am bewildered that local newspapers STILL publish his ‘supposed’ findings from ‘his’ polls. On Jan 01, 2025, he stated, “Based on the latest findings from November and December of the ongoing tracking poll, opposition PNC or APNU and its coalition partner AFC continue to struggle in popular support against the incumbent PPP.” I mean is this a finding? If so, I would love to read the report from this poll. Can someone step up and say when he or she was interviewed by Bisram and if it was documented?
Editor, it is quite obvious that “The PNC has been losing ground to PPP… (not too sure about AFC, as PNC never, even in the days of the Coalition, gave consideration to AFC-they were there to ensure a ‘number of votes’ advantage).
Look at this. Bisram pontificates that “There is significant disgruntlement with the state of politics, resulting in voter apathy that is affecting both major political parties, the PNC more than the PPP.” Really?
Let me elucidate, and by extension expunge the ‘feelings, desires, guesses etc.’ of Bisram.
Readers, peruse carefully the above. Notice 1 the rising trend on the List of Electors from 2006 to 2020 (except in 2011); 2-the rising trend in total votes cast (even though a percentile drop in 2020). Bisram does not conduct polls nor read actual, recorded and available statistics.
Now I ask that Bisram and others read the table below for a comparison over the last two elections. Notice that PPP gained significantly in ‘voters turn out’ (from 229,482 to 233,336) and in percentage as well (from 48.26 to 50.69).
On the other hand, APNU/AFC suffered a significant decline. So where is this voter apathy?
Now I want numbers, and I want to see the survey/poll report that suggests there is a “… significant number of disenchanted voters who are hoping that a credible, viable ‘third force’ emerges…”
No rocket science is needed. No poll is needed and none was ever done by Bisram. He states the obvious that “Going into an election year, if called now, the PPP will crush the opposition …) and I add even if the opposition is “… united under a credible leader…”
Just by the side, who can emerge as a credible leader for a joint opposition? Who is stalling the election fraud case?
I will now leave Bisram’s meanderings and ramblings and ask for evidence, authenticating that “Many among the lower classes plead to charitable donors Glenn Lall and Azruddin Mohamed to start a new political movement.”
Also, I want documented evidence when it comes to “Both Lall and Mohamed having a large following…”
In my time, I have only met one pollster/surveyor in Guyana. He spent like close to one hour getting me to respond in writing to his questions. I asked him how long he had been here doing this research pending the 2011 Guyana Elections. The guy told me it was 12 of them from the US and they were scattered across the various regions and they have a three-month duration. Believe me, his folder was certainly not ram-jammed. He told me there was an unwillingness to get people to stop and fill out the questionnaire. By the way, he did say that the feeling, but undocumented so far at the time, was that PPP may lose. History has it that this was the worst of elections for the PPP-they won the Presidency yes, but had to settle for a minority government.
I begged for the umpteenth time, and on behalf of so many, that Mr Bisram provide details of his NACTA-an address and a phone number. His staff can relay the same.
Yours truly,
Deodatt Singh