We can now discern the PNC-as-APNU’s endgame in the farce-as-tragedy unfolding before the eyes of a bemused international audience and a growing body of decent-minded Guyanese outside the parameters of the Opposition PPP supporters.
The PNC, after Dec 21, 2018, refused to adhere to the conventions of the political and legal order when they exploited procedural rules of the law that were meant to be a shield to protect abuses and a sword to hold off the workings of constitutional stipulations, which the CCJ had to figuratively shake its head and point out “needed no gloss”.
The substance of the law, based on justice and equity, is unknown to the PNC. They performatively demonstrated, from their formation in 1958, the betrayal of a national perspective when they willingly and mendaciously agreed to be used as a pawn to oust the PPP from office. When it comes to the law – even the supreme law of the Constitution – they need not only a “gloss”, but a marshal to execute the law’s instructions.
Take, for instance, the electoral system, which the APNU/AFC are now undermining with claims of the dead and migrated having voted. Without even a smidgen of shame, they have pivoted from their boast that they won the elections — which were “free, fair and credible” — to one that it is irredeemably flawed. They ignore the Representation of the Peoples Act, which was enacted to prevent the rigging which the PNC had committed for two decades. For instance, in each of the polling stations, not only were there several GECOM officials, including the mandatory Presiding Officer, but there was an APNU/AFC agent along with agents of the PPP and other parties. Are we to believe that all of these people conspired to ignore: a) whether the dead or migrated persons’ index fingers were stained; or b): whether their physiognomy matched the IDs presented or the photograph of the individual in the folio?
The agents of the PNC have each now been reduced to a laughing stock as they attempt to defend the heist of the elections. One ex-Minister of Telecommunications has insisted they were in possession of the immigration records and death certificates to prove their assertions even before the elections were held, because the persons were listed on the OLE. They did not object at the time, she explained, because they did not have the opportunity to do so. On being informed there had, in fact, been a “Claims and Objections” (C&O) period, the ex-Minister then insisted she said that, but it might have been distorted by her mask; and, in any case, the period was just for a few weeks, and was insufficient. It was then pointed out that the C&O period statutorily lasted for 35 days, and was extended to 49 days.
These PNC agents have refused to provide the evidentiary documents to validate the said claims, insisting they would do so when GECOM informs them on how it would utilise the information. Even overlooking the legal issues of securing confidential official documents or information that is in the possession of, or issued by, state agencies, the PNC ignore the legal dictum pointed out recently by an elder statesman: “He who asserts must prove”.
We have gone into some detail about these specific specious objections being made by the PNC to undermine the credibility of the elections because there will be more allegations in the coming weeks, as they drag the recount out. At some point, they will start demanding that “the quantitative has changed the qualitative”, and that the entire election is so “flawed” that the results must be jettisoned, new elections scheduled, or Granger be sworn in on the old flawed declaration.
They have already claimed that the voting of the “dead and emigrated” was facilitated by the “bloated” voters’ list, and they will also demand new house-to-house registration to compile a “clean” list.
Dragging additional red herrings across the trail, the PNC expects to rule to the year 2025 by hook or crook. Guyanese must rise up to stop this tragedy.
