Granger should concede for good of Guyana – US political consultant

Washington DC-based political consultant and former State Department official José Cárdenas has urged caretaker President David Granger to concede defeat and begin the process of getting his party ready, so he can compete fairly and freely in the next elections.

Cárdenas made this statement on Saturday, during an interview with reporters from various news outlets in Guyana. Asked what are his expectations for Guyana and the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) leader, Cárdenas was hopeful.
“When I see Granger, I think this is a man who has dedicated his life to Guyana. I think he has a lot of pride… I hope in the end, President Granger does what is best for his country. And I think that is to understand that the people have spoken.”
“Whether you believe there were problems with the elections, my humble advice, with thoughts to what is best for the Guyanese people, is for President granger to concede and on day two begin the process of competing fairly and freely in the next elections, with an eye to rectifying any discrepancies or problems they saw in the last elections, so it doesn’t happen again.”
Cárdenas used the example of the 2000 US Presidential Election, one of the most contentious in recent history where former President George W Bush lost the popular vote but was able to clinch the presidency after the intervention of the US Supreme Court.
“In democracy, it calls for very tough decisions personally for the good of the whole. And so, when we went through this process in 2000 with George W Bush and Al Gore, there were a lot of people who were egging on Al Gore to continue to fight the uncertainty over the 2000 election. To his credit, he conceded,” Cárdenas said.
“Because he did not want to put the country through any more uncertainty. That should serve as a model for President Granger. I respect President Granger. I think his career, his public service, is admirable. But we’re at a point now where, for the good of the country, he should concede. And his coalition should start immediately preparing for the next election, for another shot at [the Presidency].”
Cárdenas also noted that the US has a vested interest in making sure that Guyana develops and the oil wealth makes a difference in the lives of Guyanese. According to him, once this happens Guyanese won’t have to leave their countries in search of a better future.
It was only recently that coalition partner Justice For All Party (JFAP) founder CN Sharma, broke 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 PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali be sworn in without delay. Sharma had also called the last 108 days exhausting and said that the people are starving and suffering, due to the COVID-triggered economic slowdown.
Granger’s own son-in-law, former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, also made a statement on the same day as Sharma, 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.