The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change officials and supporters have been robustly unleashing attacks on anyone and everyone who comments on the humiliating political situation in Guyana and/or calls for credible elections result from the Recount figures. This political situation was created wholly by the APNU/AFC, who are still in self-denial over their defeat almost five months after the elections.
In the latest barrage of vile attacks, they have now robustly attempted to undermine and frustrate the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh. The unwarranted attacks against the Chair have been manifested in various forms, including on social media.
One APNU/AFC party agent, Ryan Williams from Linden in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), was caught by Police with a fake social media account which he used to spurt threats to the life of the Chair. In addition to threats, APNU/AFC supporters were publicly engaged in a mock funeral with a doll which they labelled as the GECOM Chair.
The Police must be commended for their quick action in finding Williams and slapping cybercrime charges against him. However, there are many others that the Police should pursue, who are endangering the life of the Chair.
These escalating attacks must be dealt with expeditiously by the Police. So despicable and appalling are the attacks that United States Ambassador Sarah Ann-Lynch, who herself has faced the wrath of the APNU/AFC officials, have condemned the dangerous statements made against the Chairwoman. The basis for the attacks is even more despicable, as it arose simply because Justice Singh is following the law to move towards the official declaration of the General and Regional Elections.
Unbelievably, these very APNU/AFC officials and supporters have not uttered a single criticism of, or condemned, the fraudulent actions of Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield. As a matter of act, Lowenfield, who has changed the figures in his election report three times already, has come in for praise by the APNU/AFC for his fragment act of fraud. He will today face private criminal charges at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
But what does this say about the character of the APNU/AFC officials? Their acceptance of Lowenfield’s fraudulent figures to give them a win is tantamount to the criminal offence of receiving stolen property, as is outlined in our Criminal Offences Act Chapter 8:01. But do they care? The answer is no. From the posture of the APNU/AFC since the conclusion of the elections in March, it is clear that they will use every avenue available to them to hold to power.
This is the status quo since the passage of the No Confidence Motion in December 2018. As it is, APNU/AFC have squandered a good opportunity to be taken seriously as the Opposition party. The blame for downfall of the party lies squarely at the feet of its leaders – starting with de factor President David Granger. As this newspaper has said before, since March 2, the leadership of the APNU/AFC have fooled and manoeuvred their supporters into believing that they were in some way shortchanged, despite the international, regional and local observers pointing to the fact that the elections were free and fair.
All of the observers have publicly stated that the elections were free, fair, and credible up until the tabulation of the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) results. The post-election events have been a national embarrassment, and have made this country a laughing stock in the eyes of the wider Caribbean and international community.
We have repeatedly said that these actions clearly show that after more than 50 years of Independence, some of our leaders have not matured politically, and are not willing to do the right thing in the national interest. The venomous attack on everyone who is standing up for Guyana’s democracy by a caretaker Government that is clutching at straws has dangerous implications for Guyana’s diplomatic relations.
We call on all right-thinking Guyanese to condemned the disgraceful attacks on the GECOM Chair as she seeks to uphold our democracy by using the National Election Recount figures to make the final declaration of the elections.
