Politicians must be opponents, not enemies!

Dear Editor,
Under the “One Guyana” initiative led by His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C governing party, potent strides have moved our country forward with convenient speed. Our citizens demand improved delivery from the representatives of crucial mitigating institutions, including the Judiciary, and from political proponents who ought to be more objective as opponents, but not enemies.
These are necessary to arrest the undemocratic practices such as ‘rigged elections’, and ensure other suppressive approaches become a thing of the past.’
Contrasting positions exist when one examines the paradigm of varying approaches by Guyana’s central political parties concerning maintaining our democratic ideals, optimizing people’s welfare benefits, and successfully executing the necessary acceleration of a strategic developmental plan.
On one side, the PPP/C party’s track record evidences an astute leadership and significant development strides while governing. At the same time, the PNC-led factions have been primarily associated with disruptive contrary opposites.
Over several decades, political proponents have consistently had many behavioural irrational disagreements, defining and demonstrating their self-aggrandizing focus or party loyalty purpose, instead of working for the greater good of our collective citizenry. The twenty-eight years of PNC governance before 1992 saw their political imposition of overwhelming dictatorial practices that manifested a Machiavellian approach to exterminating any opposing politician with a growing audience.
The PNC’s applied undemocratic practices and suppression of opposing politicians as enemies has its grounding during this period, characterized by a strategy of retaining power by the ‘any means necessary’ principle. Among the potent tools used with damning effects was its ethnic division practice and manipulation of the Judiciary, which the party proponents still try to maintain.
Without the collective support of the nation’s majority, its flawed strategy naturally attenuated the national development agenda, due to a lack of national and international support. The failure ultimately impacted harshly, and took Guyana’s economic level almost parallel with Haiti, the second poorest nation in the region.
The post-1992 period was governed by the PPP/C party, punctuated by a PNC-led APNU coalition change from 2015 to 2020. The elections informing the 1992 change saw a return to democracy primarily due to international interventions, with the Carter Center playing a leading role. Guyana had a turnaround in fortunes on the back of hard work and astute PPP/C leadership from three successive terms in office. The period, however, was synonymous with some of the most vicious non-cooperation by PNC and its subsequent coalition politicians, who collectively targeted the suppression of anything progressive for the nation.
Irresponsible Opposition politicians in the National Assembly, based on their one-seat majority, cut several PPP/C Government budgets from the 2011 to 2015 term of office. These actions significantly harmed national spending for advancing and supporting several critical sectors, while ensuring a breach of several international obligations, such as the amendments to the 2009 Anti-Money Laundering Bill that was time-bound.
They called it collateral damage without care for the created hardships that our citizens undoubtedly had to face. The fact is that these Opposition politicians never really cared about the citizens they were elected to represent.
Editor, Guyana is a living democracy, and our people gained these rights from the hard-fought and bitter struggle for political independence. During the early post-independence struggles, we lived and endured the worst forms of ‘rigged elections.’ The unforgiving attempt by the PNC and other cohort ‘riggers’ to steal the democratically elected PPP/C Government in 2020 must never be allowed in our Motherland again.
The PNC+APNU-AFC held this nation to ransom for five long months. The riggers kept their knees on our people’s necks. They lived a luxurious life trying to rig the 2020 National Elections without care while the entire world witnessed a free and fair victory by the PPP/C. Of note, officers of the Guyana Police Force investigated and instituted twenty-eight charges against some riggers based on clear-cut evidence gathered from the investigations. Those dragged before the courts for electoral fraud are out on the streets, and the magistrates’ courts appear to be dragging their feet on the trial, as if these treasonous breaches were minor offences.

They include former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, Deputy CEO Roxanne Myers, and former Region # 4, RO Clairmont Mingo, who should not be walking freely on the streets because of their actions during those five long months.
The riggers must be penalised because of the need for us to deter such activities and never experience rigging again in this country. The “riggers” and co-conspirators’ actions are nauseating and despicable. Enabling our people to vote, counting, and certifying the results in any elections must always be transparent and accountable.
Those responsible at the Judiciary decision-level should act to deter such recurrences, given the national impact and threat to civility. The Judiciary must never take such matters lightly. The time is most opportune for this nation to call on the Judicial Service Commission to intervene and let justice prevail in our “Motherland.” The courts must be able to function in the interest of our democracy.
These fraud cases are before the magistrates’ courts for two long years, and the fraudsters are not called upon to answer for their alleged crimes.
Our President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, charged the newly appointed members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) with the responsibility to safeguard the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judicial system, which they must uphold. Hence the JSC must do its best to see that these cases that are languishing in the magistrates’ courts come to light.
The struggle and sacrifices of our people must ensure we have free and fair elections in Guyana.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar