Today marks one year since the end of the five-month tumultuous period following the March 2, 2020, General and Regional elections and according to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, those assaults on Guyana will never be repeated.
In an Address to the Nation to commemorate one year since he was sworn in as Guyana’s 10th Executive President and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) into government, Dr Ali saluted all stakeholders both here and abroad who stood firm to defend the Guyanese institutions and its Constitution.
“Never again shall we countenance, in our country, any attempt to deny the popular will of the people… I hope and pray that never again will our people have to endure the agonising and fearful ordeal that we suffered for five months from March 2 to August 2, 2020. Never again should the air of freedom that we breathe be poisoned by the noxious fumes of electoral malpractice, and fraud. Never again should our integrity as a nation be threatened by the base motives and the nefarious intrigues of those who will defy the will of the people, and subvert our democracy, and their lust for personal power.”
He said the post-March 2020 events were historic a historic time as citizens took a stance that the rigging of elections would not be tolerated then or in the future.
“We established with resolve that Guyana and the Guyanese people are committed to democracy and democratic principles including respect for the majority.”
“That victory was ours, ours as a people longing for peace, progress and prosperity. It was a triumph for rule of law, and democracy and ‘One Guyana’.”
The Head of State went onto say that even after being unmasked for their actions to steal the elections during those five months when the country was locked in an impasse and at risks of international sanctions, the culprits are still masquerading as ‘paragons of virtue.’
“[They continue] to try to deceive and mislead the people whose hopes they dashed and whose beliefs they destroyed. They remain trapped in the failed politics of race and in the flawed policies of division, offering no new ideas, No novel vision, and no creative pathways for Ghana’s future. They have become yesterday’s shadows.”
“By contrast, over the past year, I’ve made clear by words, and by deeds, my deep and swerving commitment to One Guyana: One People, One Nation, in which all races and all persons are equal, with common rights, common entitlements and shared benefits. From the first day of my presidency, I’ve insisted on and demonstrated a firm commitment to good governance and transparency, to upholding fundamental human rights and to advancing equitable development for all.”
