Dear Editor,
“Let he who believes in God and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent.” Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him).
The March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections was hailed by Justice Claudette Singh, Chairman of GECOM on the night of March 2, 2020, as being free, fair and credible. This was endorsed by all the local and international observers and all political parties that were contenders of the election.
Tabulations of Statements of Poll for all districts except District Four were completed to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. The District Four tabulations became controversial and a source for dispute when then the process was infected with fraudulent data. This infected District Four declaration made on March 5, 2020, was declared by the Chief Justice as being unlawful. Following orders from the Chief Justice, the process was continued, in an opaque manner, causing deliberate confusion. It produced a District Four Declaration on March 13, 2020, that was unacceptable by eight of the nine contesting political parties, by local and international observers due to its infection with fraudulent data and lack of transparency.
After much public outcry and condemnation locally and internationally, “The President and Leader of the Opposition and all contesting political parties agreed to a Caricom proposal for a total recount of all electoral districts as a means of assuaging the contesting political parties and determining a final credible count.”
This recount commenced on May 6, 2020, and concluded on June 9, 2020. The recount produced matrices of certified valid votes cast for each list of electors from each electoral district. In a report produced by the Chief Election Officer on June 13, 2020, a summary of these matrices stated that 460,352 valid votes were cast in the General Elections, with 233,336 valid votes in favour of the PPP/C, 217,920 valid votes in favour of the APNU/AFC with 9096 valid votes for the other parties.
This summary of the certified tabulation identified the PPP/C as the clear winner. The Caricom observer team concluded that the recount process, “despite some of its administrative failings, despite some of the minor flaws, is not an indictment of the 2020 polls and the team categorically rejects the concerted efforts to discredit the 2020 poll up to the disastrous Region Four tabulation.
Despite our concerns, nothing that we witnessed warrants a challenge to the inescapable conclusion that the recount results are acceptable and should constitute the basis of the declaration of the results of the March 02, 2020 elections. Any aggrieved political party has been afforded the right to seek redress before the courts in the form of an election petition.”
Justice Singh in her decision to the Commission on June 16, 2020 “Asserted that the Commission does not have the powers of a Court of Law to examine and re-examine witnesses or to procure official documents to determine the truth of allegations contained therein” in an apparent reference to the observation reports generated during the recount.
Based on the above summary of the events emanating from the General and Regional Elections held on March 2, 2020, it is without a doubt that the incumbent APNU/AFC party has lost the elections, status as Government and the Presidency.
Corinthians reminds us that we must take pains to do what is right not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.
And, Hindus worship Lord Vishnu as Satyanarayana, the Lord of Truth and our Hindu scriptures tell us to embrace dharma (ethics, honesty and integrity).
It is in this regard that we the members of the Centre for Inter-Religious Dialogue of Guyana, call on President David Granger to concede these elections with grace and dignity.
Our religions teach us to uphold truth and to disavow falsehood. So it was said and so shall it be.
Sincerely,
Centre for Inter-
Religious Dialogue –
Guyana
