The recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGE) provides an opportunity to analyse and assess how far we have come, what has happened and where we are going. That LGE was held for the first time since 1994 is commendable, although there still remains some serious shortcomings.
The low turn-out of voters speaks to the lack of understanding and importance of local voting amongst voters in shaping and improving themselves and their own communities. Those who are 30 years old and younger have very little or no knowledge of local elections and therefore their no-show at the polls is expected and understandable.
It would be remiss, however, not to consider the fact that the APNU/AFC rushed into holding local elections knowing that GECOM was ill-prepared to carry out mandated responsibilities, namely the smooth functioning of the overall election process. Some sections of Guyana still question the creditability of GECOM.
Nevertheless, and whatever the shortcomings of LGE were, therein lies an opportunity for both sides of the political divide to put aside differences and come together to iron out the existing kinks so that the next LGE will be better than this one. I fully endorse this approach.
Another immediate concern is the lopsided coverage and reporting of the LGE results in the local newspapers. While the silence and yellow journalism of the two tabloids and mouthpieces of the government (Kaieteur News and Guyana Chronicle) are expected since the results of the popular votes were not in the regime’s favour, the reporting of LGE from the so-called independent Stabroek News is disappointing. SN preferred to place much emphasis on the results from municipalities and very little on the rest of the country. In so doing, the newspaper missed the larger picture of results of the LGE, that is, the voice of the people.
Instead, SN focused on what the opposition PPP said rather than the results themselves. This approach might be regrettable but the declaration is cacophonic and does not bode well for a country that is polarised along political preferences. Perhaps the editors do not think that almost half of the population of the country who are still loyal to the PPP would be offended by reckless journalism. I guess not.
Then there are a group of foreign Diplomats from America, Britain and Canada (ABC) who have been voicing their preference for LGE. Their loquacious attempt to make this happen is appreciated and acknowledged. But why after the LGE they slipped into a cocoon can only raise doubts about their entire guided and guarded subjective mission (democracy, human and voting rights, fair elections, amicable relations, etc) in Guyana.
One does not have to have a seasoned mind or ear to realise that they are hiding some sort of machination. I understand that given the rocky relations between the ABC Diplomats and the previous administration that the former will not be regarded by the latter with starry-eye admiration. Nonetheless, this should not prevent ABC Diplomats to provide their views, preferably balanced, on the results of the LGE. They have remained silent.
This approach is silly and downright dangerous, playing into the hands of the dictatorial despots in the current regime. The silence from the ABC Diplomats is flaccid. May I remind readers of the Ugly American Syndrome? It is too painful to describe here.
In the final analysis, the results of the LGE reveal a mixture of history and hysteria. A majority Guyanese still vote along ethnic lines rather than on policies while supporters of the current regime, in particular, writers in the dailies have gone berserk and ballistic when news broke out that the opposition won the popular election by 28,000 votes.
Unfortunately, some have refused to accept that a majority of Guyanese live in a country of stasis and sluggishness perpetuated by the current regime. Instead, some have been wrapped in the whims of extremity, pushing the current regime to reveal more forensic audits and persecute willy-nilly.
Welcome to Guyana, it takes a special mind to understand the basics, complicated by the tendril and chorus of propaganda. Actually, propaganda is a sign of strength not weakness in Guyana because it provides a fodder for more propaganda.
