THE United Republican Party (URP) Leader and Presidential Candidate Dr. Vishnu Bandhu is calling on the two major political parties to put away the decades-long ‘winner-takes-all’ political tradition and establish a National-Front Government whereby shared governance will be the order of the day.
Dr. Bandhu in a letter to the Editor in Chief of the Guyana Chronicle called upon the leaders of the two major political parties to put an end to the racial segregation fuelled by politics.
“Racial strife has destroyed our country as it continues to destroy the world. How long must we continue to allow our citizens to become caught in the tangle of racial segregation and political greed?” he questioned.
Reflecting on the two major parties’ commentaries about the results coming out of the recount, Dr. Bandhu stated that it is obvious that Justice (Retired) Claudette Singh, Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will have an angry commission to preside over when both sides meet to discuss the various narratives that have been reported on in the media up to this stage of the recount.
Bandhu added that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has been raising several anomalies in the various workstations and has charged that the March 2 elections were not credible.
He noted that the party has been raising concerns about deceased and migrated persons voting and missing statutory documents in ballot boxes in the March 2 general and regional elections, in areas known to traditionally support the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
While on the other hand, the PPP/C has been maintaining that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has “no jurisdiction” to investigate the allegations of “electoral fraud” being levelled by the APNU+AFC Coalition; that such should be done via an election petition after the results of the election have been declared.
Let it be a victory for all citizens
Dr. Bandhu further stated that both the APNU+AFC and PPP/C leaders have agreed that they will accept the results of the recount.
“Both of the major parties also said at the end of balloting on March 2, that the elections were free, credible and transparent. Now, as anomalies are unearthed on both sides, it is being said that the elections are null and void,” he wrote.
He added that the presidential candidates of the two major parties, Brigadier (Retired) David Granger and Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali should surprise Guyana and its people by appearing together at a press conference, with hands joined in victory, not for any political party, but to show a victory for all citizens of Guyana.
He further wrote that all the other parties that contested the March 2 elections should join them in an act of solidarity for a safe and modern Guyana.
“All political leaders must exercise political maturity, and stop thinking about self and political alliance, and begin to think about the country.”
Bandhu further noted that unless an alliance that bridges the racial divide in Guyana is fostered, Guyanese will continue to feel marginalised, “If one of the smaller parties that contested the General and Regional Elections got only a single vote, it means that they have a constituent they are representing; therefore we must not allow sections of the electorate who have voted to go unrepresented because the party they voted for did not get a seat in parliament.”
Additionally, he noted that the country’s constitution must also be reformed to ensure that every constituent is catered for and must also focus on the elements of segregation and division that have destroyed the fabric of Guyana’s culture. “Hate crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and persons guilty of such crimes must be subjected to jail time,” he added.
Bandhu also called on the ABCE countries to stop speaking about sanctions against Guyana and begin to speak of shared governance and a national-front alliance situation. “Let us all begin a movement that will heal our country of the vicious act of self-aggrandisement,” he said.
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_06_08_2020