Unrest at Good Intent, Mon Repos hours before close of polls

By Lakhram Bhagirat

A mere few hours before the curtains were drawn on what could have been a mostly smooth elections, two bouts of unrest erupted at Good Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD), and Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, after accusations of voter fraud went flying.

More drama would follow in the proximity of Mon Repos Primary, as crowds gathered while GECOM was tabulating

At Good Intent, WBD, the protests started just after 14:00h when residents there began alleging that a man had been distributing fake ID cards as well as attempting to assist and/or vote for persons with the alleged fake IDs. This caused the residents – about 50 – to pounce on the individual, resulting in the police officers providing security at the polling place located in the compound of the Toevlugt-Patentia Neighbourhood Democratic Council calling for backup.
About 10 additional police officers arrived at the scene and tried valiantly to control the crowd.
Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) Police Commander, Simon McBean related to Guyana Times that they were called shortly after 14:00h and informed of a large crowd outside of the Polling Station.

Police Commander Simon McBean

“The crowd had alleged that there is someone assisting people to vote in front of the polling place with illegal ID cards,” he related.
However, McBean related that they have been unable to corroborate the allegations, adding that the man is registered to vote at the Good Intent Nursery School, which is in the same compound as the NDC Office.

The Police Commander speaks with the international observers on the West Bank of Demerara

“They pointed out an individual. The individual indicated that he is a working agent and as a result, he was escorted out of the polling place and he departed. He was an agent of the political party. He went to vote at the Polling Station at the [Good Intent] Nursery School. He is registered and I would not be able to say [if he was able to vote],” McBean explained.

Residents at Good Intent, West Bank Demerara

The police tried for over two hours to get the crowd under control but they continued chanting slogans and directing expletives at the enforcers. Persons were also seen liming in the polling place even after they had voted in spite of the law mandating that no one should be within 200 yards of a polling place unless they are there to vote.
Eventually, the crowd increased to over 100 persons, and the estimated 10 ranks resorted to calling backup to get the situation under control.
Backup came in the form of the Riot Squad, which quickly retreated after assessing the situation.

Police and residents at Good Intent

Fake IDs
Over at Mon Repos, there were several allegations levelled at members of both the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC).
Voters were accusing the APNU/AFC side of intimidation while another set accused former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall of distributing fake ID cards. Nandlall denied the accusations and amounted them to the modus operandi of the PNC. He also accused the party of attempting to incite hostility.
“I want to denounce as absolute lie, a video that I see circulating on Facebook in which Amna Ally and Basil Williams have made accusations against me that I am involved in the distribution of ID cards. It’s preposterous, it’s ridiculous and Basil Williams and Amna Ally know that they are lying. I was called minutes before to that very location by my candidates who informed me that a crowd had gathered from another community and that crowd was misbehaving and was making a lot of accusations and they were cursing and abusing persons who were going to vote. It is my duty and my responsibility to go there to investigate that. I went there immediately as I am entitled to do,” Nandlall said.

PPP/C candidate Anil Nandlall with others at Mon Repos

Nandlall added that he initially did not understand what the protesters were saying and it was only until shortly after he became aware that he was accused of committing ID fraud. According to Nandlall, he ignored the accusations and went into the polling place and requested reinforcement from the police since the protesters were blocking voters from entering.
There were international observers at the polling place who were monitoring the conduct.
“I remained silent, I didn’t react because I’m experienced in these matters, I know if I say anything it will make it worse. When Basil Williams and Amna Ally entered, I thought I was talking to intelligent, mature, experienced politicians who would have been able to rise above the foolish fray, and lo and behold, they were mouthing the identical accusation. These people are absolutely ridiculous. Where and what would I do with ID cards?” he questioned.

Mon Repos resident “Fazy”

Meanwhile, according to one voter, persons were on their way to cast their ballots at that location when a minibus driver abruptly swerved his vehicle in their path, barring them entrance to the polling place.
Moreover, “Fazy”, a resident who lives in Mon Repos, said that her cousin was one of the affected electors whose democratic right had been in jeopardy.
“I didn’t expect this because we were hoping to have a very peaceful election, and this not something that I look forward for, what happen here this afternoon…they stopped my cousin from going to cast her vote. This is our country, we are citizens for this country, people vote for who they want to vote for, you cannot tell us or anyone to vote who they must vote for. You have a choice who to vote for. They stopped her and send her home back…what they are doing here is totally wrong, we are here to represent our country and our village. We can’t take it anymore and we won’t take it anymore,” the distressed resident indicated.

More tension
There was to be more drama and tension at Mon Repos after the close of polls, when GECOM agents were tabulating results. As GECOM did its work, steadily increasing crowds began to gather around the polling place.
Crowds of persons, some of whom appeared to be from various sides of the political divide, assembled on Mon Repos’ railway line. Some residents alleged that the gathering of strange persons in their community prompted their own decision to come out and assemble.
This publication witnessed senior police officers pleading unsuccessfully with some of those assembled to step back outside the 200-yard stipulation. A contingent of heavily armed police backup soon arrived on the scene and stood guard as GECOM did its work in the polling place.
GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield told reporters at a press conference that the Commission was awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the matter.