CCJ may hold the key to Guyana’s elections declaration

Dear Editor,
Call it what you will! Mini-series, circus of clowns, voting from the grave and the blind leading the blind – The election drama in Guyana continues one hundred and seventeen days (117 days) since voters here went to the polls and cast their votes to elect a new President. Even though Guyanese know the true winner of the election, we are yet to officially declare Dr Irfaan Ali as Guyana’s next President. Guyana must end up in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest election ever. Today it’s obvious that “the CCJ may hold the key to Guyana’s elections declaration”. The CCJ had ordered GECOM not to issue any results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections until the regional court hears and determines an appeal by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic.
The Guyana Elections Commission and its officers and agents will take no step to prejudice the fair hearing of this application, including but not limited to issuing a declaration of the results of the elections held on March 2, 2020, until CCJ issues final orders following the hearing on July 1, 2020, which will be more than 122 days post-elections and counting.
Here we are again with yet another court battle waging, new drama for the people of Guyana. They have gone through enough at the hands of the APNU/AFC’s “power-drunk” caretaker Government despite the fact that a certified recount of the election results from March 2 shows that the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the elections with 233,336 votes while the A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) garnered 217,920 votes.
People’s Progressive Party/Civic is the clear winner by a difference of 15,416 votes. There is enough evidence that APNU/AFC will do anything to remain in power to make sure that their leaders and cabals benefit from our country’s wealth of its newfound oil sector. This result was certified by the Guyana Elections Commission in its recount, overseen by international and regional observers, including Caricom scrutineers.
But GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, intentionally missed a deadline to submit an official report on the official numbers of the election recount as a Guyanese national and supporter of the APNU/AFC party filed a court order in the Guyana Appeals Court that blocked the official announcement of the report. Miss Eslyn David had asked the three Justices to decide on two main points of law – whether it has the jurisdiction to hear the case and whether the order issued by GECOM for the National Recount of the votes granted the statutory body the power to decide on the credibility of the elections. By 2-1 on Monday, June 22, the Guyana Court of Appeal issued an order that the words “more votes are cast” in the Constitution of Guyana should be interpreted to mean “more valid votes are cast.” The Court of Appeal, however, declined to issue other orders which had been sought by David against the GECOM, including various orders restraining Lowenfield from presenting a final report. Following the Monday ruling, CEO Lowenfield disobeyed a three days court order (stay), submitted what he claimed to be a new report of the “valid and credible votes” at the March 2 polls to the GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh and its 6 Commissioners, showing uncertified recount results with a victory for the APNU/AFC. This was with total disregard for the Appeal Court, blatant and bare-faced dishonesty to the Guyanese people. In his report, he reportedly invalidated almost 25 per cent of the votes cast at the March 2 polls, Lowenfield’s new numbers show a total of 171,825 votes were cast for the APNU/AFC, compared to 166,343 for the PPP/C and 3348 for a joiner list of new parties. As a result, with an electoral quota of 5300, the coalition would be awarded 33 seats and the PPP/C 31 seats, and the joint list would get one seat, according to the latest Lowenfield report, however, this fictitious report made no sense and it is not clear where these new figures for valid votes originate as it does not align with the numbers previously submitted by Lowenfield on June 17, 2020, more than a week ago. Editor, allow me to offer our esteemed General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo our appreciation for his astute and steadfast leadership in these times of great challenges and in making the correct anticipated move prior to the report’s submission. The PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo and PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali immediately served notice of an appeal of the Guyana Appellate Court’s ruling to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). With that came drama which has since spilt over into the local and Diaspora Guyanese community, where ugly racial rhetoric is rearing its head in Facebook chatrooms and pages, as the race pits the largely APNU supporters who are largely from the old guard of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), against the predominantly PPP/C supporters but while many Guyanese bicker daily on the global scene, the PNCR, APNU/AFC leaders and their cabals are fast becoming a global joke on social media with some sad musing gaze which is characterised by reflection. It was Dr Bharrat Jagdeo who is dear to our hearts that reminded us during one of his presentations that “in 1953, the people of Guyana were allowed for the first time to exercise their democratic franchise under universal adult suffrage to elect the Government of their choice. Today, 67 years later, our country has learned, through the painful experience of misrule and mismanagement, the vital importance of democracy to our future as a nation.” We recognise that to foster development, reduce poverty and safeguard human dignity, democracy must be allowed to grow and take root. Having laid the basic foundation for good governance through free and fair elections, we now face the task of building a more prosperous and just society for every Guyanese. The electoral process in Guyana must be brought to an end, based on the results of the National Recount, and a declaration must be made with respect for the will of every Guyanese and their valid votes cast on March 2, 2020.

Sincerely,
David Adams