PNC practise immunity to rig elections! Guyana must cleanse itself of the riggers

Dear Editor,
Against the backdrop of a necessity to urgently remove the double-edged hatchet from the necks of Guyanese, one cannot ignore the persistent threat of the PNC to free and fair electoral practices.
The role of key players from the PNC ranks, historically and in the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, resulted in their open support of the blatantly incorrect and infamous declarations, the flagrant abuse of discretion and procedures, coupled with eventual charges levelled against key elections officials that form part of the evidence of the then contaminated Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Since then, GECOM has made some efforts to address the conundrum, but there is more work to be done in this respect.
From its inception, the PNC, under its founder leader LFS Burnham, was adamant about staying in power at all cost. Party Paramountcy was used to strengthen the typical one-party rule approach, as Guyanese were forced to live under desperate conditions. However, a united people struggled for free and fair elections, and when we overcame, it witnessed “The Dawn of a New Era” in 1992.
For twenty-eight years, the PNC utilised its influence and control in manipulating the Guyana Elections Commission. The general strategy was to ensure that key leadership within the organisation was controlled by a party diehard, who would ensure a balance of elections officials to advance the Party’s Paramountcy Ideology towards satisfying its power-hungry thirst and survival.
Their use of party influence at the various levels ensured the blatant rigging of the National Elections in 1968, 1973, 1978/1980 and 1985 in the PNC’s favour. However, it was the Political Committee for Democracy (PCD) that struggled with the PPP and all other Progressive Forces, particularly decent and imminent personalities, for international support to enable the Guyanese people to free themselves from the PNC riggers.
Typically, the events that unfolded during the five months of March/August 2020 expressed the characteristic behaviour of the PNC+ APNU/ AFC coalition, which was trying desperately to steal the Government and reposition the controls it had over GECOM before the restoration of democracy in 1992. Their excessive abuse of procedure and twisting of the laws led to challenges heard at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), and resulted in rulings that deposed the Granger-led strategy to control GECOM.
With David Granger’s self-imposed choice of James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM gone, the already-in-motion plan lost major support, and it meant that the other clandestine orchestrators implanted in GECOM had to step up as they became required, without cover if necessary. It was the boldest attempt, in this modern era, of some unscrupulous staff at GECOM, who acted in collusion with the PNC riggers to steal the Government.
Notably, the PNC support inside of GECOM stood committed to the Party Paramountcy platform, and did not care about the exposure that modern technological developments would provide to the world as their plan fell apart; albeit, the emergence of a vigilant and connected PPPC with other national and global democratic support. Such abuse of a national constitutional body must never be allowed to happen again in our dear country.
These “Riggers” believed they could use the courts at their will to procrastinate and frustrate the efforts of this nation to get timely and favourable justice. Three of the GECOM leading administrative staff at the Secretariat level, who were in the plot to rig the Elections, are currently facing fraud charges in our court. Recently, they were denied an injunction filed to prevent them from giving testimony before the ongoing Presidential Elections Commission of Inquiry (CoI), but the wounds to the soul of the Guyanese people are too fresh for the truth to be lost. They will be caught, and should be severely sanctioned.
Several presentations to the CoI are indeed a revelation, and will expose many of those who played key roles in the plot. Where there is enough credible evidence to affirm a connection to the election machinery or existing influencing relationships, these should be removed or censored forthwith. The security/senior officers of the Police Force, the staff of GECOM presentation, along with civic persons’ contribution, and more recently the Chairperson of GECOM accepting that she was scared for her life on that dreaded day, must never happen again.
Let us hear what took place on Election Day, March 2, 2020, on the East Coast of Demerara at those polling booths, where there are serious questions about the documents that were not in the ballot boxes. My experience reminds me that in 2015 the ‘Famous spreadsheet’ was used, and the 2015 election petition was never heard. Further, the then Chairman said that thousands of votes from that very area were never counted.
This Commission of Inquiry (CoI) must provide recommendations to put an end to all forms of rigging. GECOM staff must be accountable, transparent and fair. Our country is blessed with diversity in unity. Let us unite and tell the riggers that we no longer need them. GECOM must cleanse itself and remove all the rogues. We must have LGEs now.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar