“Don’t feel hurt, congratulate Dr Irfaan Ali” – GCCI to Granger

…tells de facto President to be a statesman, concede defeat

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has urged de facto President David Granger to concede defeat and allow the country to return to the path of development and unity, starting with Granger reaching out and congratulating the winner of the elections, Dr Irfaan Ali.

This was communicated in a statement the Chamber shared on Saturday, the same day that embattled Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield submitted a fraudulent report that purported to show Granger winning.
This is despite the certified recount showing that Dr Ali and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the elections. According to the GCCI, it would be a wonderful gesture and an example to future generations, were Granger to behave like a statesman now and call Dr Ali to offer the first official round of congratulations, even without a formal declaration. GCCI noted that it would show great patriotism.
GCCI used the examples of statesmen in history, such as Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom and George W Bush of the United States, to highlight the grace and integrity these men exhibited when they lost an election.
“In every Presidential contest, there is unfortunately only one winner. President Granger need not feel hurt, Winston Churchill delivered a massive war time victory to England, but the British voters in 1945 elected Clement Attlee as Prime Minister. Churchill is reported to have said in response, ‘I thank the British people for the many kindnesses shown towards their servant’.”
“When George Bush lost to Bill Clinton in the USA’s 1992 Presidential Election, he conceded with these words, ‘I remain absolutely convinced that we are a rising nation. We have been in an extraordinarily difficult period, but do not be deterred, kept away from public service by the smoke and fire of a campaign year or the ugliness of politics. As for me, I’m going to serve and try to find ways to help people.’ This could also be said of our country, especially at this juncture in its history.”
According to the GCCI, Granger and his A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition party still have a role to play as an Opposition in Parliament. The Chamber noted that there, they can keep the PPP/C accountable to its campaign promises and moreover, unite with the PPP/C and other parties on major national issues.
“In the end, we expect unity, unity on major national issues such as our border controversy with Venezuela and unity with regards to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic,” GCCI said in its statement.
“We expect unity in knowing that four months later after E-Day, it is time for the nation to move on and get on with the business of implementing policies that benefit the Guyanese people and that all starts with the outgoing President Granger’s congratulation of Dr Irfaan Ali now.”
The international community, having witnessed the recount which showed that the PPP/C won the elections with 233,336 votes while the APNU/AFC coalition garnered 217,920, have also made calls for the President to concede.
The coalition’s own partner Justice For All Party (JFAP) founder CN Sharma, had broken away from APNU/AFC’s dogged refusal to accept defeat in the March 2 polls. In a statement, he made it clear that enough was enough and it was time for the country to move on.
He had chastised those bent on dragging out the process and extended congratulations to PPP/C on their win. Sharma had pointed out that the National Recount was carried out and from the votes counted, it is clear the PPP/C is the winner. As such, he had urged that Dr Irfaan Ali be sworn in without delay.
Granger’s own son-in-law, former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, had also made a statement in which he conceded that APNU/AFC lost to the PPP/C and called out his party’s leadership for fooling supporters.
And incumbent Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was caught on a recording, conceding defeat to his Ministry staff, during a farewell speech he had given. In that speech, Ramjattan had acknowledged the PPP winning by some 15,000 votes and had told the gathering he was willing to move on.