After waiting with bated breath for over three months for a formal declaration of Guyana’s March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel on Thursday, but that was again snatched away by an A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) supporter.
This decision by the APNU/AFC supporter to move to the court to block the declaration was not only very well-orchestrated, but was intended to once again hold Guyanese to ramson. By now there should be no doubt that the David Granger-led APNU/AFC will stop at nothing to illegally hold on to power. The orchestration was clear, as the plaintiff was given time to file the motion when the Chief Elections Officer and two APNU/AFC commissioners failed to attend the meeting. Had that meeting been duly constituted, it would have cleared the way for the Peoples’ Progressive Party to be declared the winner of the election, and Dr Irfaan Ali being appointed the 9th Executive President of Guyana.
This newspaper has consistently reiterated that the constant cry of the APNU/AFC, who fully well know from the recount that they have lost the 2020 General and Regional Elections, is a clear indication that they have no respect for democracy, and more so the will of the Guyanese people. Since March 2, they have fooled and manoeuvred their supporters into believing that they were in some way short-changed, despite the international, regional and local observers pointing to the fact that the elections were free and fair. All of the observers have publicly stated that the elections were free, fair and credible up until the tabulation of the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) results. Caretaker President David Granger has always claimed that he would abide by the Constitution, but his Government has been defeated since December 21, 2018 and his party has lost the 2020 election, and yet he is attempting to have a firm grip on power. When the clumsy efforts by Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo collapsed in front of their eyes, the Coalition found other avenues to delay the inevitable. As expected, no one bought their story that dead and migrated persons ‘voted’. From day one, when the claims were made, they were shut down and the relevant evidence was provided, showing otherwise. Today, they continue to peddle this falsehood of voter fraud in spite of the fact that they have never provided a shred of evidence.
It is unfortunate that Granger has not helped, in any way, to provide leadership and guidance or the necessary moral support to his followers, and stop misleading them.
As the matter now faces the Court of Appeal, we agree with GECOM’s Chair, Justice Claudette Singh, who, in her submissions to the COA, said: “The Notice of Motion should be rejected by the Court, and the Commission should be permitted to execute its constitutional role and functions to bring finality to the 2020 Elections… the duty of the court is not to re-write the Constitution, but to interpret what is already stated in the Constitution clearly. The words themselves best declare the intention of the framers.”
It is sad that the APNU/AFC, via its supporters – Ulita Moore and now Eslyn David – are maliciously abusing the judiciary by filing mischievous cases in the hope of helping their leaders to cling illegally to power. To quote Justice (retired) Claudette Singh in her submissions: “The application (filed by David) is misconceived and ought to be struck out forthwith.”
