Opinion swings against coalition’s behaviour

Dear Editor,
It is time for the coalition to end the resistance and congratulate Dr Irfaan Ali on his being the President-elect. It should concede defeat and help with national reconciliation. The coalition risks losing support in its base.
There is an interesting groundswell (voters) reaction to the Government’s response to the count and recount of the votes cast in the election. The mood in the country has shifted against the coalition, even among its own supporters, and this is because of its intransigence in accepting defeat.
Too many in the party base feel they have been taken for a ride for too long; misled about the election outcome. Many no longer pay heed to the spokespersons, as opinions swing against the Government. More and more supporters are accepting that their party lost. Some respond: “Dey think we stupid”.
The President boxed himself in a corner. His own several postures since election day have come to chain him: Only Caricom interlocutors matter (they advise acceptance of results); and Caricom (recount) report must be taken into account (report shows coalition lost). The image of honesty and decency that Granger created or acquired for himself is perhaps haunting him more than anything else. Now he must be pondering: What is the honest thing to do if not to concede defeat and resign and allow Dr Irfaan Ali to be sworn in?
Granger is also torn between party and family. His wife, children, and son-in-law are pulling him away from APNU to do the honourable thing, perhaps prepping him to resign. The hardliners in the party are doing their best to keep his feet to the fire and not give up power.
In the end, all is not lost. Like the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes, Granger also would rise. The PPP is known to make mistakes in Government, and as several American Congress persons advised, his name and legacy are recorded in history. Why jeopardise it for a few hardliners? His destiny and legacy lie in his own hands.
While spokespersons of the coalition change their narrative from claiming victory twice, to increased margins at the start of the recount, to fraud during the recount, their supporters don’t have pleasant words for some in the Government.
People joked that this is the only election in the history of Guyana that was rigged three different times – twice by the incumbent and once by the opposition. Government supporters suck their teeth when spokespersons, in response to the recount, say the coalition was cheated and that the opposition engaged in electoral fraud. Among the Police Force, and even the paramilitary forces and the army, there is a cynical smile when one begins to talk of the state of politics.
Why is the coalition going ahead with this pretension? Government workers and Police and army officers are worried about losing their US visas. They won’t do anything illegal.
On the other side, supporters of the opposition shake their heads in disbelief when they hear what they describe as “nonsense” emanating from the mouths of Government spokespersons: that the PPP rigged the election. Both sides are mocking, jeering, and making snide remarks against the leadership of the Government. “Why don’t dey throw in the towel?” many remarked.
Any other narrative but concession is not selling, not gaining currency.
Government supporters say they have been misled, and they voice their opinions openly. They accept that their party lost the election, no amount of denial would change that fact. In reacting to Government spokespersons or when they engage in discussion on politics, they say: “Have they no shame? Dey (names mentioned) deh pun serious joke”.
There is widespread rejection of the latest narrative of electoral fraud among public servants. The attitude among public servants is that Government people are embarrassing themselves. Public servants are even more irritated when contractors come for payment and money is not available.
And the nation is seriously hurting from the politics and suffering a double-whammy with the coronavirus. At the business level, there is almost complete shutdown. Tens of thousands of persons have lost their incomes. The demand for public service has not been met. Even hospitals are affected, being unable to meet demands for healthcare. The business community is complaining that business is virtually dead.
Too many are ridiculing the administration. It is better for the Government to give up than to prolong the suffering by rejecting the recount numbers as pronounced by Caricom.

Yours truly,
Dr Vishnu Bisram