This is a public challenge to David Granger: to do the decent thing and congratulate the winner of Elections 2020, President Irfaan Ali and the PPP. It is better late than never to do the right thing.
This challenge follows Granger’s recent denial that he ever claimed victory soon after the General Elections of March 2, 2020. While we are at it, here is another challenge: publicly urge the PNC to release their copies of SOPs for Elections 2020.
The constitutionally mandated timeline for election is December 2025. It appears that elections are likely in November 2025. So, as 2025 takes shape, let us buckle up; the so-called silly season is here.
Even as the country gears up for Elections 2025, the Opposition has never conceded defeat in Elections 2020. They continue to insist the President is illegitimate, and that the Government is illegitimate. Not only did they lose Elections 2020 while being an incumbent; they also lost the Local Government Elections of 2022 resoundingly, with the PPP winning almost 70% of the seats, making enormous in-roads in Opposition strongholds. With President Irfaan Ali and VP Bharrat Jagdeo being the most popular politicians in Guyana and CARICOM, the Opposition continues to live in fantasy land, thinking that the average Guyanese believe that they did not lose elections 2020, that the average Guyanese subscribe to their ridiculous claims, including that thousands of dead people came out from the graves or from the air and voted for the PPP.
On the evening of March 2, 2020, asked if he was pleased with the election process during the day, Granger robustly praised GECOM and expressed his pride with how smooth election day was. At the time, he must have been confident that the “rigging” plan was working. It was only after it became obvious to APNU/AFC, by early morning of March 3, that they had lost Elections 2020 that they began to change the storyline. Once it became obvious that their plan to change the numbers on the SOPs from Region 4 would not work, as it did in the 2015 elections, they came up with the “ghosts” narrative, in which they claimed dead people voted.
When David Granger came out from hibernation a couple of weeks ago, he decided the most important thing to do was denying he ever declared victory during the shameful period following Elections 2020 on March 2, 2020. He felt compelled to issue the denial after a witness in the “low life” libel case involving Cathy Hughes and VP Bharrat Jagdeo asserted that former President Granger had made the claim.
Indeed, when I heard Granger speaking to his supporters at the Lamaha Railway Embankment, where the Opposition had set up a camp, ostensibly a victory camp, I heard a “victory” speech. He thanked them and told them how hard he and APNU/AFC worked, covering all the regions. Clearly, he was not thanking them for just voting for him and APNU/AFC, he was thanking them for “victory”.
The news clippings of the day provide clear evidence.
If not “victory”, what was he thanking his supporters for? Usually, the winning side thanks people for voting for them, and commits to “goodies” such as delivering better living for people in the following term in office. Usually, the losing side thanks people for their votes, and promises that they would work assiduously to hold Government accountable and to win back government in the next election.
Granger promised, during his short “victory” address, that the next five years would see Guyanese getting the things they need; that their lives would improve tremendously. Did he mean to tell the people that, now that President Irfaan Ali would steward the nation, they would be better off?
Clearly, he thanked them for giving the PNC-led APNU/AFC “victory”, and the reward would be better lives for them.
Granger told the crowd what the new term had in store for them. In thanking them, he spoke of lifting mothers; of public servants earning more; and of all Guyanese living lives of dignity. At all times, Granger spoke of “we”, (meaning he as President and the APNU/AFC as Government) delivering better lives.
While “spin” is a well-practised skill among politicians, both in Government and Opposition, “spin” is not license to lie, misrepresent, misinform, and obfuscate. There was no “spin” in Granger’s remarks to his supporters that day. The operatives had concocted a victory story for their supporters, who had begun to celebrate long before Granger had arrived. When he arrived and thanked them, he was thanking them for the “victory”. When he promised better lives over the next five years, he was not “spinning” the results of Elections 2020; he was asserting “victory”.
In fact, on several occasions soon after Election Day, it is well-known, the military and other Government officials were mobilized to swear-in David Granger as President.
Granger’s denial is an insult to the intelligence of the Guyanese people. Even among his own supporters today, people are finding it incredulous that Granger insults them by denying he ever claimed victory. For years now, some PNC and APNU supporters have lived under the illusion that they had won the elections, and were cheated. They got the false impression from what they were told by their leaders. One contributory factor was Granger’s “thank you” speech.
No matter how much spinning is done, Granger’s address to the PNC supporters that evening was a “victory” speech.
This kind of insult is like when he told young people not to wait for the Government to create jobs; they could create their own, such as selling dog food and plantain chips.
Now that he wants us all to believe him, that he never claimed victory for Elections 2020, is Granger willing to admit they lost Election 2020? Is he willing to admit Irfaan Ali and the PPP won Elections 2020 free and fair?
