Guyanese flood polling places to express constitutional right

By Lakhram Bhagirat

Hundreds of thousands of Guyanese flocked their respective polling places on Monday to vote for the political party they believe is better equipped to lead Guyana into the future as an oil-producing nation.

Guyana’s General and Regional Elections were closely monitored by record numbers of international elections observers. All eyes are on Guyana because of its estimated 8 billion barrels of oil.
With over 600,000 Guyanese on the Official List of Electors (OLE), there were many reasons for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to encounter major issues, but based on information gathered, there were very few.
Voters gathered at their polling places from as early as 03:30h to cast their ballots and just enjoy the rest of the day off. The excitement was profound with long lines of eager young voters and the experienced ones offering words of advice.

West Bank of Demerara

On the West Bank of Demerara, the voter turnout was high as most of the polling places were packed to capacity from as early as 05:00h. The mixture of young and old was clearly visible as many braved illnesses and physical challenges just for the chance to have their voices heard and issues addressed.
The importance of voting and electing a Government was surely not taken for granted by the ‘West Siders’.
Ivor Glenn was one of the first to cast his ballot at the Vive La Force Primary School and hailed the process as a smooth one.

“I get up early and come here to vote. I don’t make joke with voting, boy, and I want everybody to know that we have to vote and make sure that we put the people in there who can do the job. We don’t want to have the wrong set of people in government,” he said.
The sentiment was the same at the La Grange Primary School as the compound was packed from as early as 04:00h. The elderly were given first preference by the younger generation and those who had physical challenges were automatically placed at the front of the queue.
One of the major issues throughout West Demerara was the glaring lack of provision for the differently abled and the elderly. The elderly were forced to climb the long stairs at the La Grange Primary just to cast their ballots in the School’s upper flat. Additionally, several persons reported concerns when it came to identifying their polling stations since the information provided by GECOM’s Information Clerks was very vague.

In Parfaite Harmonie – one of the country’s largest housing settlements, voting was a celebration. The residents there blasted music and brought out the alcohol. The vibe was encouraging to voters who stood in long lines while braving the scorching heat.

West Coast of Demerara
Moving on up to the West Coast of Demerara, Guyana Times observed some of the activities throughout that section of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), which mostly recorded a smooth process.

Over at Crane Primary School, lines extended beyond the corridors in the upper and lower flats, and a slow process commenced. Within the first hour, observers from the European Union (EU) showed up to scrutinise the activities, ensuring that the process was fair.
Meanwhile, at the Windsor Forest Primary, Hemchand (only name) indicated that he decided to show up very early to vote. According to him, the polling agents were helpful in the smooth process.
“It was very smooth and quiet. The process was very nice. The polling agents were very nice, giving the (ballot), and voting very quietly. There was no difficulties,” the man expressed.

In the crowded polling stations, some individuals indicated that they would like to see positive changes in their communities, which for some time, have been plagued with issues.
Basdeo Sahadar from Anna Catherina voted at the Leonora Secondary School. As a person who would always go out to vote, he indicated that his village has been plagued with a high crime rate.
“The process was nice…smooth. Everybody want development. Everybody want good things for the country. The crime situation in Anna Catherina is a thing here and we want to see it change,” he shared.

On the other hand, Amir Khan from Cornelia Ida told this publication, “It was calm and everything going well. I come out since 06:00h. A lot of things not going right in this time, so we come out to vote now to see how things will work out this time around.

Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway
The voting process in the community of Yarrowkabra, along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway was deemed a very smooth one by residents who came out in their numbers early Monday morning, to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

When Guyana Times visited the area, a number of villagers were in queues at the community’s Primary and Nursery Schools which were used as polling stations. Other persons were seen double-checking to verify that their names were on the list before joining the lines.
One of the community’s oldest residents, 80-year-old Daphane Archer voted early and related that the process was a smooth and easy one.
Meanwhile, it was a similar atmosphere over at neighbouring community Kuru Kururu where persons were also in their numbers waiting for their chance to cast a ballot.
This publication caught up with differently abled resident 56-year-old Steven Williams, who was able to vote with the assistance of his sister. He noted that the process was a smooth one, and lauded the courtesy of the polling officers.
“The voting process was very smooth. There were a few people before me, but I was here since six and I already finish. The polling officers were very courteous and everything is just running smooth.”

Few to no hiccups were experienced at the polls in both communities.

East Bank Essequibo
Barring a few minor hiccups, it was generally a smooth and simple process for voters along the East Bank Essequibo (EBE), who turned out in large numbers during the early-morning hours to cast their ballots.
In many of the polling stations visited from Tuschen to St Lawrence, East Bank Essequibo, voters were seen queuing from as early as 05:30h to cast their ballots. Many voters expressed the view that they wanted to come out early and vote to avoid the rush and get back home early.
Farmer Razack Salim from Parika Backdam was ecstatic to cast his ballot.
“I went over the polling station like 05:15h; at that time, it had about 10 persons there. I had to join the line and wait until 06:00h and after they ready for we. We went in and find everything so simple and easy that we didn’t had no problem; up to when I leave there, it was no problem at all,” Salim remarked.

Speaking with this publication, Tuschen/Uitvlugt Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Chairman Vishal Ambedkar noted that there was a lot of “displaced voters”.
There were also some local and international observers who were making stops at the various polling stations to see how the process was going, but they refused to give a comment, only stating that they were only “observing the process”.

Georgetown
Meanwhile, in Georgetown, the process was generally smooth-flowing as most persons knew their polling stations and how to vote. Even the first-time voters were prepared having learnt about the process from the GECOM Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and from their parents.
Many voters indicated that they had checked the GECOM website to get their polling stations, but others failed to do the same and had to move from one polling place to another to cast their votes.

At some locations, there were long queues, but at a press conference Monday evening, GECOM officials explained that in some cases those persons were lining up at the information desk to find out which polling station they had to go to. It was noted that senior GECOM officials were deployed on the ground to fast-track that process at those locations.
During the mid-morning hours, only a few polling stations were packed – others saw generally slow traffic throughout the day. A lot of elderly persons, many of whom are physically challenged, turned up to vote and related that the process was generally fast-paced, as no one objected to them being given first preference. One elderly woman, who is turning 101 years old today, was wheeled by relatives to the Enterprise Primary School in D’Urban Backlands to vote.

East Bank Demerara
At the Diamond Primary School, East Bank Demerara (EBD), scores of excited voters lined up before the opening of polls, eager to cast their ballots.
However, that excitement was soon quelled as electors waited for long periods until they were able to vote.
In fact, there was confusion among several groups regarding at which polling station they should vote.
In some cases, persons ended up waiting in the wrong line for several minutes until they realised that they needed to be at another polling station.
This publication witnessed one lady, in all her frustration, about to go home without voting because she was unable to find her name. Luckily, a fellow elector used her mobile phone to help the woman locate her polling place – which was right at the Diamond Primary School. The woman eventually found where she was supposed to line up to vote.
Similar situations occurred at other polling places, like the Eccles Nursery and Houston Secondary Schools.
However, not everyone had a bad experience. Some were lucky enough to exercise their franchise within minutes.
Junior Simon of Nandy Park, EBD, was one such person. He told this newspaper of his expectations of the new government.
“We hoping for enhancement, a better economy, better salary and wages,” Simon said. “A man must be eligible enough to buy and drink a case of beer he desires, knowing that he could pay he house rent and send he children them to school.
“Social and economic issues need to be dealt with, so people can have money to fluctuate within their homes,” Simon stated.

Essequibo Coast
Polling day on the Essequibo Coast was quiet during the day; most of the residents turned out and cast their votes during the morning hours at the various Places of Polls. They braved the occasional rain to ensure that their voices were heard.
About 19:30h, a group of A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) supporters flocked the polling station at the Nursery School in Lima Housing Scheme. The Police had to intervene and remove the crowd.
While visiting several locations on the East Coast of Demerara, residents of a few communities expressed their satisfaction on how the voting process was going.
One resident of Enmore, who cast his ballot at the Enmore Community Center, said that he did not encounter any challenges.
“I came and went to the polling station, I tell the person who checked the list, they say ‘go in the middle; if there is no one there, go to the polling clerk’, so I did that. The process was ok,” he said.
Nolene Frazer, a resident of Victoria, said that she was pleased with the number of voters who turned out this year compared to 2018’s Local Government Elections.
While visiting the Golden Grove Primary School’s polling station, a family who had already cast their ballots and were seen leaving the polling station, were asked about their voting experience.
The family said: “It is very peaceful and calm.”
(Additional reporting by Rupa Seenaraine, LaWanda McAllister, Leah Hernandez, Shemar Alleyne, Vahnu Manikchand, and Devina Samaroo)