…after elections
So after all the storm and fury of the year-long campaign, the relatively incident-free casting of the votes and the counting of those votes at the place of poll, one has to ask why we’re still waiting for a declaration of the results two days down the road?? And the asking isn’t just prompted by wanting to know who won. In Guyana, we all know that the longer the announcement is delayed, the more likely all hell will break loose.
This election was very reminiscent of the 1997 one – following the first “free and fair” elections in 1992 that brought in the PPP. Desmond Hoyte, the PNC leader was convinced he’d broken the back of ethnic voting with his “Desmond Persaud” claims and he’d sweep the PPP out of office. He built up huge expectations in his traditional constituency. But more insidiously, he created a narrative of PPP’s victimisation and peripheralisation of African Guyanese.
He started right after the 1992 elections with strident claims of “ethnic cleansing” when the PPP attempted to rationalise the top tier of the Public Service to better execute their manifesto programmes. He turned each of those programmes – from land distribution to agriculture – into a racial Rorschach Test. While there weren’t actual violent outbreaks, matters did almost reach boiling point on several occasions – such as when he called upon his supporters to “shoot to kill” if necessary in a land dispute at Boeroserie.
By the time the 1997 elections rolled around, it didn’t take much of a spark to set off an explosion. This was provided by Trotman’s claims of “thousands of ID’s being distributed by PPP” and the delay in announcing the elections results. As the OAS summarised afterwards: “In contrast to the situation prior to the elections and during the voting, the Mission noted significant weaknesses in the organisation, management, and administration of the collection, transmittal, verification, and announcement of results. This situation, coupled with significant delays in the announcement of results from key polling districts, created a climate in which some have questioned the electoral process and results.”
And it was this “questioning” of the results by claiming PPP “rigging” that the PNC of Desmond Hoyte unleashed protests in Georgetown and unleashing massive violence on Jan 1998. After 2015, we saw the PNC under David Granger stoking a volcano of worse accusations against the PPP as it relates to their treatment of African Guyanese. The trope of “killing 400 black youths” moved from being an urban myth into “TRUTH” carved in two stone tablets.
The accusations of PPP “distributing IDs” to their supporters to vote, gunmen arrested for attempting to steal Statements of Poll etc, have now set the stage for mischief.
Results must be released pronto!!
…after Lowenfield’s “briefing”
The word “briefing” is derived from “brief”, no?? But you could be excused for believing it originated from “circumlocutory” after witnessing GECOM CEO Lowenfield’s “briefing” to the Diplomatic Corps and media on the state of the counting yesterday at noon. High noon, it was NOT!! At the close of polls the day before, he’d assured the nation that by then, the 10 “Returning Officers” (ROs) from each of the Regions would be in possession of ALL the SoPs and he’d be in a position to make some substantive announcements.
The invitees turned up expectantly – as did the rest of Guyana via TV and social media. But the fella just went around and around the topic of election results – merely referring to 5% of the SoPs cited by the PRP – which was meaningless in the big picture. As he focused on the logistics of moving the SoPs in the interior jungle areas, he gave a graphic illustration of how the phrase, “beating around the bush” might have originated!!
It really was an insult to the Diplomats gathered there.
…on coronavirus
One other reason your Eyewitness wants the elections results to be announced is we haven’t been paying enough attention to the coronavirus that’s now a pandemic.
And will reach us sooner than later.
