Is APNU/AFC undermined by “the truth hurts”?

Dear Editor,
The brutal, cowardly and dastardly attack by a mob of anarchists coerced and inspired by President Trump’s treasonous insinuations, left a trail of deaths, damages and disaster. Encouraging the crowd to revolt and spreading lies about election irregularities and fraud (all election petitions denied by the courts), Republican Senator, Mitt Romney, challenged and pleaded with President Trump to “tell the American people the truth.”
Barbados Prime Minister and Past Caricom Chair, Mia Motley, refused to support election rigging and would not condone Granger and his APNU/AFC party’s actions to impede GECOM’s work to conclude a smooth election process. She exclaimed, “The truth hurts….I have nothing more to say. The truth hurts but what we must never do in Caricom is to avoid the truth and avoid our principles.” Guyana’s election ended up being prolonged by some five months of gruelling, laborious, painstaking and costly delay by the callous APNU/AFC party, led by a heartless caretaker President David Granger. He refused to accept the legitimate recount result from a Caricom-appointed election observer committee.
Aided and abetted by GECOM’s officers and APNU/AFC party representatives, Mingo and Lawrence, attempted many times to tamper with the election results and manipulated the configuration of the figures in order to manufacture avoiding a loss for the APNU/AFC party and deny the PPP/C party a win. Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, who led an OAS observer team for the March 2, 2020 General Election in Guyana remarked, “I have never seen such a transparent effort to alter the results of an election. If each of the party genuinely believe it has won then, they should have no fear of the current recount, and they should all support it.”
Charrandas Persaud’s yes vote in December 2018 had tilted an advantage to the PPP/C party, thereby securing the majority in the No-Confidence Motion initiated against the then ruling APNU/AFC Government. Granger and cabal had refused to accept the fact that 33 is the majority of 65 and the issue went all the way to the CCJ who proclaimed a denial to the APNU/AFC party. The OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, had defended Caricom’s efforts to support people’s freedom of choice in the Caribbean when he had declared, “if democracy fails in any Caricom country, it fails in the larger community. As an institution, Caricom cannot allow this to happen in any member state.” Back in 2019, President Granger had unilaterally appointed James Patterson as GECOM’s Chairman and after being challenged by the PPP/C party, the CCJ revoked his appointment.
Granger and his APNU/AFC cabal did challenge Caricom’s election recount result and wanted to institute their fictitious result figures as purported and submitted by GECOM CEO, Lowenfield, but again, the CCJ refused to accept dishonesty and denied their application. While Trinidad’s Prime Minister, Dr Rowley had refused to return to Guyana to observe the election circus under GECOM’s politically-dictated scrutiny, influenced heavily by the APNU/AFC party, on his return home, he did express much disappointment and concern about transparency and the deliberate attempts by that party and GECOM’s officials to engage in skullduggery. He concluded, “I am worried that an election a month ago is now a courthouse matter and I am getting a feeling that this is not going to end well. I hope I am wrong.” He was right. Granger and his band of rebels did not immediately accede to the CCJ’s decision. The St Vincent and Grenadines Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves had warned, “A rogue clique within Guyana cannot be allowed to disrespect or disregard, with impunity, the clear, unambiguous ruling of the CCJ. The time for decisive action is shortly upon us.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a severe toll on the people and the country continuing to slide in poverty and suffrage, Granger recklessly denied the will of the people and did not adhere to the CCJ’s ruling. He and his band of villains maintained office and power and indulged in corruption and malpractice. Ralph Gonsalves had called Granger “a sanctimonious gangster.” The US Ambassador in Guyana had to point out, not that the US wishes it, but there could be “serious consequences if the democratic process, the rule of the law, and the principles of democracy are bot followed in Guyana.” It wasn’t until the US intervened with visa sanctions on all contributing towards undermining democracy, did they finally agree to US Secretary of State’s call to “step aside” and accept the PPP/C party to be installed as the new Government with Dr Irfaan Ali as President.
With the confessions of the accused murderers of the Henry cousins, the DPP has recommended the Police institute charges. The Police were accused of partisan policing and were under severe fire from Granger and the APNU/AFC party and other related Afro Guyanese associations, to solve the case which they deemed was politically motivated. “This is not about recrimination. It is about justice. We must not tolerate sloppy Police work. We must not tolerate partisan policemen protecting the perpetrators, we must not tolerate suspects being sheltered and sent on their way,” said Mr Harmon. Mr Granger lauded the residents for sending a message that “we are not going to put up with this nonsense.” “We call on the Government to protect us and if the Government does not give us the full protection we deserve, we are going to take any reasonable measure to defend ourselves,” said Mr Granger who is also the leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). “We can’t reverse what has happened but we will do our utmost to avoid a recurrence,” he said.
The Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, had responded with, “Unfortunately, Messrs Granger and Harmon descended on the communities and in their statements and rhetoric created an atmosphere engendering unfounded suspicions leading to racial polarisation and attacks. Further loss of life, injuries and property loss are being experienced! This escalation in violence rests squarely at the doors of these two gentlemen and specific known political agitators of their ilk!!” Like Mia Motley said, “The truth hurts,” and the inconvenience of truth makes people shudder and cower. Some cannot handle the truth while the likes of Trump and Granger cannot speak the truth and prefer to hide behind a garrison of lies, deceits and dishonesty. They shut themselves behind closed doors to make cowardly attacks and rush back to their isolated and lonely dens. Now that the truth is out, will Granger, Harmon and the rest of those who were basking in a state of denial while preaching and promoting racial division and ethnic violence step out and face the truth?

Respectfully,
Jai Lall