Back in 19th Century New England, Hester Prynne committed adultery and was forced to wear a Scarlet Letter – “A” – on her blouse, to remind herself and her community of her violation of the community’s norms and standards. “A”, of course, is for “adulterer”. Your Eyewitness recommends that a Black letter “R” (for “rigging”) be placed on the shirt or blouse of every APNU/PNC/AFC official – whenever they represent their party.
The thought struck your Eyewitness when he read about GECOM meeting with the Opposition leaders. Imagine the latter’s gall to suggest that the public doesn’t have much faith in the credibility of GECOM – and that deep reforms are necessary before elections are held!! This is outrageous on so many levels!! It demonstrates the importance of context when statements are made!! Sure, GECOM has a credibility problem after the 2020 elections…but who the heck caused those problems, if not APNU/PNC/AFC??
This is tantamount to a rapist saying he doesn’t want to have anything to do with the woman he raped because she isn’t a virgin!! Hello!!!?! What about the PNC’s role in destroying GECOM’s credibility?? “Sorry…can’t talk about that,” smirked the PNC leaders!! But who else can explain why, after GECOM was universally praised at the end of elections day, it all went south after that?? Like PNC Elections Head Harmon being in contact with the GECOM clerk who was altering the Reg 4 SOPs on the night of March3?? Those alterations led to the count being announced from the spreadsheets rather than from the individual SOPs – which the court pronounced was illegal!!? But your Eyewitness doesn’t have to give a blow-by-blow of GECOM’s subversion, does he? OH…it’s soooo painful!! The bedsheet! The bedsheet!!
Now, if the letter “R” had been pinned on the APNU/PNC execs, even they would’ve possibly balked at going down the road they did. But, then again, shame was never their strongpoint, was it?!! Furthermore, the PPP Government – having suffered for five months from the PNC’s cheating ways – has already launched a process to straighten out the operations of GECOM! Haven’t they? Hiring new brooms and all that!
But no…that doesn’t satisfy the PNC – they want a “new voters list” for the LGE that’s due. The continuous registration programme launched and the claims and objections coming up don’t satisfy them. They complain about the “bloated” List of National Registrants from which the Voters List is extracted, knowing fully well that the Courts have ruled that it’s unconstitutional to remove the names of overseas Guyanese that “bloats” the list.
The PNC just doesn’t want to be humiliated once again!! Pin those black “Bs” on all of them!!
…and legitimacy
Five months after dragging out the elections’ results following a recount witnessed by the entire world, the PNC’s changed their tune. From claiming that the PPP “rigged” the elections (while out of Government!!) they complained that the US Government engaged in “regime change” by intervening in the elections. They never did spell out exactly how that “intervention” – which at most consisted of commenting on the PNC shenanigans – changed the votes recorded on the paper ballots! Surely the Russian hackers Ramjattan and Cathy intercepted weren’t working for the Americans, were they?
But, of recent, the PNC have turned their rudder once again. The USAID report that suggests the PPP bring in the PNC from the cold is now being trumpeted from the rooftops. This, of course, isn’t “interference”!! Now, your Eyewitness is aware that big powers intervene in elections etc to protect their interests, like right here with Jagan in the 1960s.
But the PNC’s rejecting the very essence of democratic elections: to confer legitimacy on governments.
Democracy by undemocratic means?!
…for LG this year
The PPP shouldn’t be suckered by the PNC – like they were for decades on demands to reform the Local Government laws – to postpone the LGE.
The PNC will just turn around and blame them for being “undemocratic”.
