David Granger continues to hold on to power

Dear Editor,
Guyana is a democratic state that is struggling to stave off an attempt to establish an authoritarian state. The incumbent President is Brigadier David Granger (ret’d) who leads a coalition known as APNU/AFC. Granger is the leader of the largest partner – the PNC – which has an unfortunate history of being founded by LFS Burnham, who ruled Guyana with an iron fist from its independence in 1966 to the time of his death in 1985. To understand how Guyana has returned to the precipice of dictatorship and authoritarian rule we have to examine David Granger, the man who would be king.
After a campaign based on “honesty, decency and integrity” of character, Granger was all set to be sworn in as the new President based on Mingo’s fraudulent declarations of March 5 and 13. No rational explanation has been offered as to why Granger has never requested to examine the Statements of Poll in his party’s possession nor those in the possession of GECOM’s Mingo or Lowenfield. Granger instead chooses to avoid questions and send various minions to float theories and stories varying from the ridiculous to the even more ridiculous.
There has been no attempt to discern the truth by Granger; instead, there has been a blind acceptance of the stories peddled to him by close aides and family. Despite pleas from every possible quarter, Granger has steadfastly refused to concede defeat at the polls and continues to cling irrationally to power, oblivious to the harm he is causing the people of the country and the nation’s international reputation. Could a personality disorder be the cause of all of this stubbornness?
In her first interview as First Lady, Sandra Granger stated that she was the disciplinarian of their daughters; he (David Granger) was a walkover, and “He is a calm person. I know he gets angry but he gets quiet when he does. I never heard him abuse anybody in vile language ever”. Sandra Granger related that a GDF Officer said, “From the time David says, ‘My friend…’ you know it is very serious”. There are three agreed symptoms of passive-aggression personality disorder: an avoidance of responsibility, deliberate inefficiency, a refusal to state needs, or concerns directly.
Throughout his five-year tenure as President, Granger has consistently avoided open press conferences, preferring to offer comments on the sidelines of events and avoiding questioning.
Granger infamously invokes the four C’s to avoid taking responsibility for his actions, from the avoidance of the consequences it was all the Courts, Constitution and then the Commission; after the loss of the elections of March 2, 2020, it has been all of those and Caricom who have been holding up the declaration of results.
Tellingly, in instances when the courts have ruled Granger’s actions illegal and/or unconstitutional, he (Granger) would provide his interpretations of these rulings.
Caricom was deemed the “most legitimate interlocutor” by Granger before the Caricom report which declared “the Team did not witness anything which would render the recount, and by extension, the casting of the ballot on March 02, so grievously deficient procedurally or technically, (despite some irregularities), or sufficiently deficient to have thwarted the will of the people and consequently preventing the election results and its declaration by GECOM from reflecting the will of the voters”. Granger pledged to abide by the decisions of the aforementioned four C’s, but does not, Granger engages proxies to avoid taking responsibility for his actions even when it is clear that he is the one steering the ship and the main beneficiary of the actions.
Granger has spent all of his political capital making promises to abide by the four C’s, this he has told visiting US members of Congress, diplomatic representatives, and world leaders. Granger has lost the goodwill and exasperated the patience of everyone; the USA, the UK, Canada, the European Union, Caricom, Baroness Scotland and the Commonwealth and most of all the majority of the Guyanese people, former supporters are turning away in disgust at the transparent attempts to insult their intelligence and to stir ethnic disharmony.
Any rational mind can forecast where this all ends; the promise by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that “all those who seek to benefit from electoral fraud” will face sanctions cannot be wished away. David Granger and his family will bear the brunt of these measures; the family name will be destroyed and will haunt the bearers for generations both in Guyana and abroad. It is a fate many would find too terrible to contemplate.
Ostracism from society is inevitable, the company of honest, decent people of integrity denied forever. The family will be unable to travel to foreign lands with the possible exception of Cuba; their bank accounts frozen and when (not if) the intermediary banking facility is cut, the people will be denied money transfer agency services.
Without access to services such as MoneyGram and Western Union, hardship for many will be unbearable; the love of many for Granger will devolve into open hate. When Granger or family members venture from behind the high walls of Pearl, street protests will erupt; law enforcement will face very real dilemmas, one person was already killed by Police under yet-to-be-answered circumstances, any further injuries or deaths will be subject to international inquiry and global prosecution. Ultimately, it is David Granger who will bear responsibility for any loss of life.
Apart from David Granger’s destroyed character, he should spare a thought for that of his wife; Sandra Granger spent 18 years working within the Caricom Secretariat and has a sterling reputation as an “integrationist”. In a 2016 interview, she said “I think people criticise the Community, especially on issues of economic interest. But the Single Market has come on stream. Of course, people have to accept that they will lose some sovereignty, but they will gain momentum and economies of scale”. The current disgraceful abuse of Caricom leaders done in Granger’s name must be difficult for her to personally stomach and certainly, no amount of power and perks of office could replace the loss of respect by one’s peers.
In any event, the perks will soon disappear; the oil money is already out of reach and will not be in the hands of an illegal Government. There is no benefit for David Granger in the foreseeable future if he does not concede soon, the advice, entreaties, and warnings will turn into action, and then there is no return for him or his family. Ignominy!
Despite all of these obvious factors, David Granger continues to hold on to power, as yet no one quite knows what it is that he wants to achieve, there has been no statement or indication of a desire he would like to achieve or direction he would like take. In the meanwhile, Granger will neither fish nor cut-bait and the Guyanese population continues to suffer the ebb and flow of the passive-aggressive mind.

Respectfully,
Robin Singh