Dear Editor,
I am hopeful for the future of Guyana under the leadership of President-elect Irfaan Ali. This is not because the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has won and the APNU/AFC has lost, but because as Guyanese we believe in our Creator, who is powerful. The last few years have exposed deep divisions in our Guyanese society, and this election campaign has exacerbated rather than heal them. The task before us all, as leaders, politicians and citizens, is to work together in our communities and across our nation.
I have been reflecting on every Guyanese taking up their new leadership role in the aftermath of these elections with a passion and vision for “unity”. As a people, we have been divided for too long.
Psalm 133 says: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity”. As Guyanese, we must model this as we come together across age, race and class differences; when men and women stand and work together as one. And as we do this, we would show that issues affecting Guyana are issues that affect every Guyanese.” We are all “GT to the bone”, we can be a witness to, and bring about, reconciliation for our communities. For some, the election results are a nightmare; for others, the results are a wish come true. Either way, and for those ambivalent about the outcome, as Guyanese, we must unite for a better Guyana.
This was a particularly difficult election season for Guyana and every Guyanese. It exposed deep divisions and reflected a year of ugly rhetoric and angry, sometimes violent, exchanges among people. Racism, misogyny, proverbial assault, xenophobia, antisemitism, and just plain cruelty headlined news stories and became trending topics across social media. Many Guyanese could not wait for June 16 to arrive, just so the ordeal would be over and they could move on.
But “moving on” isn’t going to help Guyanese address the tensions and issues raised by the long campaign season and the election itself. The election was a mirror held up to all of us, exposing deep damage and creating more at the same time. This election is one element of democracy; it had to be free, fair, and transparent. How elected representatives and citizens receive it is just as critically significant.
The daily work of nurturing citizens, civil society, and sustaining democracy also matters. Elected representatives often follow; they take their cue from us. Educators, classrooms, and schools each play a unique and important role in sustaining a democracy and in nurturing civil society. This COVID-19 pandemic period offers an opportunity to engage students as civic actors, thinkers and problem-solvers. In thinking about the next few days, weeks and months, we might take inspiration from some divided communities and fragile democracies around this great country of ours.
First, let’s put our emotions in context. This was one of the most polarising elections in our lifetime. The electoral process was filled with anger, anxiety, humiliation and lies, and many are feeling emotionally raw, and their emotions have become more intense because the results were unexpected. This combination of intense emotions and surprise may result in our being carried away with thoughts and feelings that may be strong for now, but may dissipate with time.
If the coalition APNU-AFC had won these elections, nothing would change for those of us who insist that Guyana requires a strong governance arrangement. the PNCR would have been gallivanting around the country claiming the end of ethnic voting and irrelevance of the discourse about the winner-takes-all system, notwithstanding that one half of the citizens would have been left alienated as a result of its more- than-likely manipulating the extremely bloated electoral list. The maximisation of individual and social freedom, security and good living are the objective of human existence and natural rights.
GECOM would declare the final and official election results based on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-supervised recount, which shows that the PPP won the General and Regional Elections.
The recount shows that of the 460,352 valid votes cast, APNU+AFC got 217,920, the PPP 233,336, and the three ‘joinder’ parties – A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), and The New Movement (TNM) – got a total of 5,214 votes.
The Organisation of American States, Commonwealth, Carter Center, and the team of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) scrutineers that observed the recount have called on GECOM to declare the election results based on the tabulation from that recount.
Mr David Granger, please concede defeat in order to restore credibility and the dignity of the Office of the President.
President-elect Irfaan Ali and former President Granger, as Guyanese, must both work towards the preservation of our sovereignty and territorial security in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
David Adams
