THE much-anticipated recount of the votes of the March 2 general and regional elections finally got started this past week. and almost from the beginning,, two things became noticeably clear: first, that GECOM was correct in opting for an audit of the votes rather than a simple recount. Secondly, it has become obvious by the hour why the PPP fought so hard not to have an audit and also to avoid counting the votes in all 10 regions.
This publication has repeatedly taken the position that there appears to be much that the PPP wanted to hide from the scrutiny of an audit. Although it is too early to proclaim that we have been vindicated, we can say with much confidence that we were not wrong.
We had heard from polling agents and other poll watchers attached to the APNU+AFC and from some independent observers that there were instances of “over-voting” in selected areas where PPP supporters are in the majority. In Regions Three and Six for example, it was reported that the coalition requests for recounts were denied by election officers attached to the PPP. Given what has been exposed in Region Three after just three days of auditing, we now have a sense of why those requests were declined and that those charges of over-voting were not figments of people’s imagination. Region Three appears to have been a den for the PPP’s malpractice.
As Commissioner Alexander has reported, there is at least one instance where there were more affidavits in a box than the number assigned to the polling station in question. Further, in that very region, there is a box that contained more votes than the number of voters at that station. There have also been reports of votes of dead voters and others who have migrated finding themselves in ballot boxes. Unlike the PPP which has brushed these aside as minor infractions, we believe that they represent serious tampering on the part of the PPP. In a close election, they could make the difference between winning and losing.
It is too early to determine whether what has been uncovered thus far is the beginning of a trend. But they should not be wished away as inconsequential. Before the recount got started, the PPP was emphatic that the elections was being rigged at the behest of the coalition. The PPP and their allies have said that the opposition party has clean hands and therefore has nothing to hide. How do they now explain these transgressions after an audit of just over 100 boxes? Remember there is a grand total of 2,339 boxes to be audited.
Predictably, the PPP and its affiliates have made a lot of noise at the relatively slow pace of the process. Why do they want things to move at a faster pace? It is obvious that they are afraid of what a meticulous audit would reveal. This publication has made our position clear. We do not favour a sacrifice of thoroughness for a party’s desire to get their hands on power through the back door. It is highly improper to ask GECOM to facilitate such ugliness. It is not the length of time that is important, rather, it is transparency and credibility that matter.
It has also been reported by this publication that the PPP has resorted to tampering with its own Statements of Poll (SosP) which it once touted as unimpeachable. We now know that they have adjusted the numbers on those SOPs to reflect an addition of over 2000 votes for the coalition. Where did these numbers come from? Many observers have long questioned why the PPP’s SOPs are being used as the standard against which GECOM’s tabulation should be tested. Now even the PPP is admitting that its SOPs were rigged against the coalition. In any case, the authentic SOPs are the ones in GECOM’s possession.
We wonder what those who jumped out front and declared the PPP the winner must be thinking as they observe the steady flow of fraud committed by the PPP? We hope that they have learnt the lesson that electoral fraud is multi-dimensional. It is difficult to arrive at a conclusion after looking at one stop sign along the way. The PPP are masters at rigging and they desperately try to cover their tracks. But in this instance, they did not anticipate an audit that looks beyond the mere votes in the boxes. The key is to determine how those got there.
The PPP will no doubt try to invent new ways to frustrate the process and blame their opponents. They are confident that the overt and covert support from external and internal forces would be enough licence for them to keep bullying their way into office. We urge Guyanese to be vigilant at this most pivotal period in our history. In the end the country is bigger than the party.
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_10_05_2020