Dear Editor,
During this difficult time, while we try to avoid the corona pandemic (COVID-19) and deal with the complexity of these 2020 elections, many of our essential workers have no choice but to keep working so that our country and communities can continue to function. They have been working hard to provide us with what we need to get through each day. Doctors and nurses are the most recognised because they are at the forefront with the pandemic and doing the most difficult tasks of saving people’s lives. However, there are many more essential workers who are quietly doing their jobs. We are dedicating a special thank you to all the essential workers in our country and communities and we hope that they will continue getting recognised for their great work.
Today I take this opportunity to recognise the media for playing an indispensable role during Guyana’s 2020 electoral process. Like in many other sectors, the coronavirus pandemic has also had a great impact on the media. In a time when professionals from different occupations are trying to manage work from home, correspondents, who usually spend a significant part of their time on the field, running after stories and people, and the whole media sector, in general, find themselves face-to-face with new challenges. Fighting an increase in fake news, The media personnel, newspaper, television, radio and social media are essential to democracy, and a democratic election is impossible without media. A free and fair election is not only about the freedom to vote and the knowledge of how to cast a vote, but also about a participatory process where voters engage in public debate and have adequate information about parties, policies, candidates and the election process itself in order to make informed choices. Furthermore, the media acts as a crucial watchdog to democratic elections, safeguarding the transparency of the process. Indeed, a democratic election with no media freedom, or stifled media freedom, would be a contradiction.
Our media help to provide unfettered scrutiny and discussion of the successes and failures of candidates, Governments, and have performed and help to hold them to account. Yet the media also have other roles in enabling full public participation in elections:
By educating voters on how to exercise their democratic rights;
By reporting on the development of an election campaign
By reporting results and monitoring vote counting;
By scrutinising the electoral process, itself, including electoral management, in order to evaluate the fairness of the process, its efficiency, and its probity;
By providing information that, as far as possible, avoids inflammatory language, helping to prevent election-related violence.
Our media presence at the counting centres is critical to preventing electoral fraud, given that full measures protecting freedom of speech are guaranteed, and that media are free to act independently and with impartiality.
Our election cannot be deemed democratic unless the public is fully able to participate and is unhindered in exercising choice.
At this point, I wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to you, our valued observers, both locally and internationally, all our thousands of polling agents/counting agents GECOM regular and casual staff, for being a critical and necessary part of successfully conducting the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections. Congratulations on a job exceptionally well done.
We consider it a successful election, free and fair, most voters had a pleasant experience and remember its outcome rather than any issues at the polling place.
Based on the feedback we have received and media reports, this was a success. We know of no major problems, no major glitches and no major surprises that interfered with E-Day.
We are now hearing of all these things that APNU/AFC is alleging happened that we now have to question if they valued the services you all rendered on Election Day. As Guyanese citizens, we exercised our constitutional right and civic responsibility on March 2, 2020. Administering a successful elections requires dedication and getting things done in a timely manner. Due to your dedication, commitment and hard work, Guyana again lived up to its well-deserved reputation for conducting open, fair, and transparent elections. Since 1992.
As we turn our attention to the recount processes. We look forward to your efficient, robust and dynamic involvement in this process.
Finally, our hearts go out to The Carter Center for their dedicated services to the people of Guyana. The Guyanese people will always consider the Carter mission as our friend.
In 1992, The Carter Center for the first time as an international observer played an important role in ensuring that Guyana from moved PNC dictatorship to democracy. In 2020, a PNCR/APNU/AFC dictatorship had rejected The Carter Center, from returning to Guyana to observe the recount, however, history has a way of repeating itself. Guyana stands at a crossroads. Not only is it critical that this election is seen as credible, it’s also essential that it serves as a springboard to a future that is more inclusive and so that all the people of Guyana can share in this new wealth under a People’s Progressive Party/ Civic elected Government.
Sincerely,
David Adams
