Guyana’s new mini-series, ‘election in focus’, now showing

Dear Editor,
Is this real fear of compromised staff and delaying tactics employed by GECOM that has forced over 6,500 Guyanese to sign a petition asking the US Government to impose sanctions on individuals who have been trying to subvert the tabulation process, and therefore deprive the democratic rights of people to have a government of their choice?
Guyanese remain skeptical about the impending recount process. It is strange that top officials at GECOM have not been formally advice of the arrival of the high-level delegation from Caricom when the country’s National COVID-19 Task Force announced that it had approved a request from Caricom for officials to travel to Guyana on Thursday April 30, 2020 for the purpose of overseeing the recount of the ballots by Gecom. This is a clear indication that the right hand doesn’t have any idea what the left hand is up to, or they are trying to make us all fools. This is part of the rigging manual.
I really hope that sanctions would force GECOM and the APNU-AFC cabal to walk straight and allow a fair count, and declare the true winner.
General elections were held on March 2,2020, and, eight weeks later, the APNU-AFC caretaker regime, in collusion with GECOM, is delaying the recount process negotiated by Caricom and agreed upon by the APNU-AFC and Opposition Peoples Progressive’s Party/Civic leadership, and supported by eight other parties.
The proposed duration of the recount is 25 days, with no start date being provided by GECOM. There are serious questions about the credibility of some senior GECOM staff who have been involved in attempts to rig the results. The public trust is severely damaged, and Guyanese are fearful that the recount process would not be credible and transparent.
Guyanese have rallied and concluded that enough is enough, and they have therefore moved to sign a petition seeking the United States’ assistance in imposing personal sanctions on identified PNC-AFC and GECOM operatives. Guyanese never wanted this option, but the recalcitrance of APNU-AFC, in collusion with GECOM, has forced Guyanese to take this necessary action. The petition was delivery to the US Ambassador. Another was also delivered simultaneously to the US Secretary of State.
Guyanese also ask for the invocation of Resolution 1080 of the OAS Charter. Our Citizens’ patience and forbearance have been tried, violated, and extended to the limit by GECOM and APNU/AFC, who have continually demonstrated a reluctance to bring an end to the March 2, 2020 election.
The hardship and the insecurity that APNU-AFC and GECOM have inflicted upon every Guyanese have been noticed by the international community and others. We must have a credible outcome to these elections. We are all concerned that so much time has elapsed without a credible result. Further delays violate the Guyanese people’s rights to a transparent, credible, and timely electoral process.
These results should have been declared fifteen days after the elections. It is now 58 days after March 02,2020 and we have not even begun the recount as yet.
This has become a mini-series with various episodes, with the latest episode being the 33,000 face masks required for the recount team to do the job. Are you kidding me? This elections recount is hampered by so many obsolesces being imposed by the APNU-AFC caretaker Government and GECOM.
As we look around, we can see Guyanese in fear of two elements: the coronavirus (COVID-19) and this travesty of injustice which seems to continue indefinitely and can bring this nation under dictatorship if we don’t come to an early conclusion of these elections.
The People’s progressive Party/Civic had requested that several measures be put in place to secure transparency; such as public streaming, and for the process to be overlooked by an audit firm. These requests were all denied by the GECOM Chairwoman and the APNU-AFC commissioners. The PPP/C, along with numerous groups, expresses fear due to the repetition of the PNCR’s past at electoral rigging.
GECOM’s reluctance to implement the appropriate transparency could lead to fraud. After numerous delays caused by several logistical issues, improvised hurdles, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyanese — the Private Sector Commission among other entities — are skeptical about the recount process as proposed by GECOM.
The facts are apparent to all, or most Guyanese: that the PNCR Commissioners and other PNCR operatives are doing everything within their powers to sabotage the recount. Most Guyanese have lost all confidence in GECOM and the electoral system of Guyana, and are pessimistic about the outcome of the recount process.

Sincerely,
David Adams