Measures should be put in place to ensure election results are respected

Dear Editor,
I started a paper on political stability and development that I need to complete. It will be the first study to examine the nexus between political stability and economic growth in the Caribbean. Using data for the period 1960-2018 and Generalized Auto Regressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models, I found convincing evidence that political stability is negatively related to economic growth. My findings would appear to defy rational thinking since it means that when the economy performs poorly, the country enjoys relatively more peace and political stability. In civilised democratic societies, we would expect the reverse. That is, when the economy performs poorly, there should be more agitation from the ordinary man who would tend to suffer and rebel.
While strange, there is a rational explanation for my findings. The PNC is perceived to control the coercive arms of the state in and out of power. Thus, even when this political party delivers hardships during their rule, as was the case in the 80s (eg, blackouts, food shortages) and trampled upon the rule of law as they did over the last year, the people fall in line. The false impression created by the PNC is that the security forces will stand behind this political party regardless of its performance or transgressions.
My study shows that whenever the PPP is in power, which is usually characterised by economic and social development, there is less peace and stability in Guyana. For instance, the country was one of the most advanced economies in the Caribbean during the 1960s under the PPP-led government. However, during this period, we experienced the deadliest riots in our history. Similarly, during the 23 years of the PPP/C rule that ended in 2015, the country was crippled by riots associated with the ‘more fyah and slow fyah’ campaign, a crime spree supported by politicians who described the criminals as ‘freedom fighters’ and violent protest in Linden and East Bank aimed at destabilising the PPP/C Government. Paradoxically, during the 1992-2015 period, the country experienced two episodes of sustained economic growth under the PPP/C. The contradiction may be explained by the perceived control exercised by the PNC over the security forces.
We are heading to elections in a few months from now. If the polls are free and fair, I am confident of victory for the PPP/C is guaranteed since the vast majority of Guyanese will support this party. However, whether the PNC-dominated Government will relinquish power without a fight is another issue. There is a real and genuine fear that there will be severe violence should the PPP/C win the election, as was the case in 1992 and 1997. Already, we are witnessing the open display of hate for the PPP/C by a small group of disruptive people across Guyana. I believe that this small group is signalling to all Guyanese that they will rebel if the APNU/AFC loses the elections. We should not ignore this signal. Instead, we should make the necessary arrangements so that violence is minimised during the election season. More importantly, measures should be put in place to ensure the results are respected by those who may choose to do otherwise when the results are declared. In the meantime, the supporters of the PPP/C should exercise restraint in the face of all the provocation engineered by this small disruptive group. We need to be mindful that the PNC-dominated coalition is desperate and wants to spread fear among the electorate as well as invoke racism to appeal to their traditional support base. The coalition is aware that it cannot win the upcoming elections based on policies and programmes or their track record over the past four-plus year. The only option available to the coalition is race hate and bullyism. We must not fall prey to this trap but greet supporters of the coalition with messages of hope and prosperity for everyone under a PPP/C administration.

Regards,
Name provided