Lowenfield’s final attempt to rig the 2020 Elections

Dear Editor,
Everyone knew all along that Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo are in cahoots with the APNU, alias PNC, to rig the 2020 Elections. The evidence is so much that the common man in the street can repeat the evidence from the heart.
I, as well, wrote several letters outlining the fact that Lowenfield and many in GECOM are doing the bidding of the PNC. Hereunder are some facts.
In July last year, just before the CCJ’s decision, Lowenfield went into delaying mode to support APNU/AFC’s quest to defer the elections as long as possible. He no longer awaited the CCJ’s rulings, but embarked on the GECOM-backed delaying tactics by foisting house-to-house registration on the Guyanese electorate. This precipitated the call for another Court intervention and more delay.
Lowenfield was in charge, and he made full use of his usurpation of the power of the Commission. It must be recalled that the Private Sector Commission upbraided Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield for commencing and sanctioning an unsanctioned, unverified house-to-house (HtH) registration. However, Lowenfield was never sanctioned, neither was he intimidated in any way. He was fulfilling the PNC’s directives! In fact, he made it plain by his action that he was in charge, even after the appointment of the new Chairperson, Justice Claudette Singh.
Since the HtH, he fiddled with the Claims and Objections, the Voters Lists, and the Polling Places, but the PPP/C withstood this onslaught by tirelessly counter-attacking every one of Lowenfield’s tricks. And lo and behold! Then came the 156-day Lowenfield Recount Plan. This was finally thwarted again by the ever-vigilant PPP/C, supported by the smaller parties.
Until that time, Dr Jagdeo ensured that he effectively broke the rigging machinery which the PNC had brought into motion since the passing of the No Confidence Motion.
I had written in one of my letters to the press that Mingo, Myers and Lowenfield should be fired immediately and replaced with independent and capable people. Guyana cannot risk placing its future in the hands of these clearly corrupt persons, who are evidently compromised. To adamantly persist on involving these people is a travesty of the notion of free and fair elections in Guyana, now and in the future.
It is now clear for all to see why Roxanne Myers was chosen above Vishnu Persaud, even though the latter is more qualified; and why Lowenfield’s contract was renewed just before these Elections. The illegally- appointed Chairman Justice Patterson had done his job well in appointing Myers, and current Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh did hers in ensuring that Lowenfield’s contract, which was supposed to come to an end in March 2020, was renewed. That there is a correlation between what happened then and now is undeniable.
However, Lowenfield’s report has finally obliterated any remaining doubt that he is part and parcel of the PNC’s rigging machinery, and had probably been doing the needful since 2011, when the PPP began to lose its majority Government and finally gave the Coalition the winning edge in 2015.
It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lowenfield acted outside of what he is legally empowered to do. Section 12 of the Order states: “The matrices for the recount of the ten (10) Electoral Districts shall then be tabulated by the Chief Election Officer, and shall be submitted in a report together with a summary of the observation reports for each District, to the Commission.”
There is no place for Lowenfield’s personal and subjective judgment, but he did so when he concluded thus: “Finally, the summation of anomalies and instances of voter impersonation (insert Electoral District) does not appear to satisfy the criteria of impartiality, fairness, and compliance with provisions of the Constitution and the ROPA (Rights of the People Act) Cap 1:03.
“Consequently, on the basis counted and the information furnished from the recount, it cannot be ascertained that the results (insert Electoral District) meet the standard of fair and credible elections.”
Lowenfield has converted allegations by APNU/AFC agents into ‘anomalies’. This ‘report’ is the final attempt by Lowenfield to rig in favour of his masters, or to annul the elections as per the directions of the Coalition.
What is not surprising is the fact that he skillfully and conveniently ignored the massive and transparent fraud perpetrated by Mingo, which amounted to nearly 20,000 votes in favour of the Coalition. This speaks volumes for his attempt once again to rig in favour of the Coalition. What is barefaced and shameful is the fact that he is now giving the Coalition a ‘win’ by a landslide of more than 68,000 votes, ignoring the fact that the recount tabulation gave the PPP/C a win by more than 15,000 votes, which actually agreed with the original SoPs.
How can mere spurious and unsubstantiated allegations be used to change the recount result? This again speaks volume of Lowenfield’s complicity with the Coalition’s shameful attempt to rig.
Finally, Chairperson Claudette Singh must ignore the subjective inputs of Lowenfield and use the recount results to make her declaration. Anything else must go by way of an election petition, as provided for by the law. As a retired Judge, she is no stranger to sifting facts from fiction.

Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf