…President says electoral process was compromised
…asserts role of Caricom scrutineers; CEO in preparation of recount, observation reports
…again calls on Guyanese to await declaration by GECOM

PRESIDENT David Granger, while maintaining that he will accept the results of the General and Regional Elections as declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), said from all indication the electoral process was manipulated as he pointed to the countless irregularities that have been unearthed since the recount of the votes commenced a month ago.

“Everyone is aware of numerous reports of irregularities including unstamped ballots, deceased and migrant voters and missing poll books. Those irregularities appear to have been committed intentionally, not accidentally, and demonstrate a pattern of manipulation of the electoral process,” President Granger said in an address to the nation on Saturday.
According to the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), for which the President is the Leader, there have been more than 2,000 numerical irregularities, resulting in more than 90,000 votes being affected. In recent days, 29 ballot boxes from along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) were discovered with no official statutory documents inside – just ballots, for which the lion’s share went to the main Opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). Added to that, the APNU+AFC has been the primary victim of rejected ballots, due to the failure by GECOM’s staff to mark the ballots correctly with the six digit stamp.

While the Elections Commission, chaired by Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, is expected to decide on the 29 ballot boxes today, it is expected to deliberate on the irregularities while considering the reports of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield upon the completion of the recount of the March 2 votes and the tabulation exercise.

Acceptable outcome
President Granger, while reminding the nation that the National Recount was widely supported by the Government and Opposition, said an acceptable outcome is expected based on four sequential stages. It was outlined that the ‘recount’ of ballots – the first stage – follows the decision of the Elections Commission, on April 3, 2020, that it would recount all ballots cast in the Elections. The national recount commenced on May 6, 2020.
The second stage of the process, the President posited, will see the compilation of a report of the recount by the Chief Elections Officer, and is within that report, that the irregularities, in addition to the tabulated votes, will be detailed.

“The Chief Elections Officer, in the circumstances, is obliged to present a matrix of the poll results of each electoral district together with a summary of the ‘Observation Reports’ of each electoral district to the Election Commission,” President Granger detailed. Given the exceptional interest of the CARICOM Heads of Government and the leading role the CARICOM scrutinizing team, it is the President’s hope that their ‘report’ will be sent to the Election Commission, and receive the fullest consideration.
The ‘review’ of the report by the Elections Commissioners – the third stage of the process – will follow,” the President further detailed, while noting that the Elections Commissioners will be expected to take into consideration all the evidence provided in the CEO’s ‘report’, both from the tabulation and observation, in their deliberations.
It is expected, also, that the Election Commission will examine the CARICOM report at this stage. The ‘result’ of the General and Regional Elections – the fourth and final stage of the process – will be declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission after she has studied the report of the Chief Elections officer and the Observation Reports, the President summarized.

Iterating a long held position, President Granger said he will accept the results of the elections as declared by GECOM.

“…I shall accept the declaration of the results by the Elections Commission, which will allow for a democratically elected government to be sworn-in to office. I am committed to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. I respect the integrity and autonomous nature of the Elections Commission. I will abide by the declarations of the Elections Commission as I have abided by the rulings of the Court,” the Head of State told the nation.

With the recount near completion, the President called on Guyanese to await the completion of the four stages – the current recount, the reports of the Chief Elections Officer and the CARICOM observers, the review by the Elections Commission and the declaration of the final results by the Chairman of the Commission.

It was President Granger, who in 2019, met with the Chair of the Elections Commission, the Elections Commissioners and the Leader of the Opposition, and offered a commitment to ensure that the General and Regional Elections would be free and credible.

The date for the elections was proclaimed by President Granger following an indication by the Elections Commission that it would be in a position to effectively conduct the General and Regional Election by the end of February, 2020. Elections were set for March 2.
It has been three months since those elections were March 2, 2020.

“The General and Regional Elections were free and orderly. Subsequent events resulted in the prolongation of the electoral process well beyond the deadline for the declaration of results. That prolongation was occasioned by a delay owing to legal challenges in the Supreme Court of Judicature and the Court of Appeal. The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) approached the Supreme Court on three separate occasions, obstructing the work of the Elections Commission. Those actions and the calls for recounts of ballots allowed for the Supreme Court to determine the way forward,” the President explained.
The Elections Commission made several declarations pursuant to Section 84 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 subsequently and almost immediately received requests from political parties for recounts in the 10 electoral districts.
It was President Granger, who on March 15, agreed to a total recount of the ballots from all electoral districts. However, he had emphasized that the recount ought to be done in accordance with the Constitution, the applicable law and the judgment of the Court.
“I had agreed, also, that a High-Level Team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) would be allowed to function only within the framework of the Constitution and under the aegis of the Commission and the rulings of the Court,” he further reminded. To date, the recount has been in progress for 32 days, and according to President Granger, the diligence and persistence of the Chairman of the Elections Commission ought to be applauded, as he points out that she continues to perform her duties under the Constitution “admirably.”
“She demonstrated her respect for the rulings of the Court and has facilitated CARICOM’s observation role in the recount process in order to assure every one of the credibility of the elections,” President Granger said while urging full support and respect for the Elections Chair.

“I encourage everyone to respect the Chairman of the Elections Commission and the Commissioners and to desist from scurrility, vulgarity and character assassination. The Commission must be allowed to perform its functions in accordance with the Constitution,” he urged.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

By Adam Harris
MANY people take some things for granted. They see roads being built, or garbage being collected or transportation provided for their children to go to school and they take those things for granted.
Prior to May 2015 Georgetown was a dump. People called it the Garbage City without a measure of disgust. They simply took it for granted that the government would do nothing to alleviate the situation.
In fact, one government minister, Kellawan Lall, actually said that he would not mind if there is an outbreak of disease in the city.
And to add salt to the injury, Bharrat Jagdeo simply said that his party has never won Georgetown. The inference was that Georgetown would not attract any significant interest from his government.
He even would speak proudly of the days when it took more than 10 minutes to drive from State House to Public Buildings. He did not mind presiding over the collapse of the city; the majority of the people did not vote for his party.
Georgetown is a far cry from what it was in early 2015. Businessman Brian Tiwarie put his vast resources at the disposal of the nascent government to clean up the city. Within days the transformation was most remarkable.
Visitors from all parts of the world came and remarked on the cleanliness of the city. To a man they proclaimed, “Georgetown is so clean.”
There were other developments. David Granger removed the ban on employment in the Public Service, then set out to ensure a professional Public Service. That is still a work in progress.
He removed the conditions that allowed for the payment of bribes when people sought to obtain official documents. The long lines disappeared from the passport offices, as did the delay in obtaining documents.
People relaxed and took these things for granted. During the tenure of the PPP government bribery, theft and graft were normal things. Contractors took it for granted that they would pay 10 per cent of their contract to a minister or one of his surrogates. That too was taken for granted.
Corruption having become a way of life in the past and an accepted part of national life, saw the PPP planning and scheming five years ahead of the 2020 elections.
The loss in 2015 did not go down well. Jagdeo had often preached that the PPP could never lose an election again in Guyana. He knew what he was saying. I did not recognise the cold, hard fact that even if no supporter turned up to vote his party would win the elections.
Since Jagdeo did not take losing an election for granted, he began to put he machinery in place to topple the government. He used every resource, even Charrandass Persaud to initiate the no-confidence motion,
Then came the large-scale spending. Money was always there, having been siphoned from the public treasury in the past and squirrelled away like King Midas’s gold. So money, some US$34 Million was the amount agreed to by a lobbying firm in Washington.
Not only did this firm sell the People’s Progressive Party to the foreign diplomats, it provided the message that they all saw and believed. The lobbying firm secured their support for the People’s Progressive Party.
The PPP did not take the work of its lobbyist for granted. It walked the streets of its supporters offering everything under the moon and the stars once the party wins the elections.
On the other hand, the other people believed in decency and took it for granted that all the players would play by the rules.
The PPP had studied most of the known hangers-on in the society. It knew their weaknesses and fed it.
Jagdeo during a meeting at the National Cultural Centre so humbled a man who is now a vocal critic of the government, that this man never uttered a word in his own defence. Jagdeo bought this neophyte of a lawyer.
Then there was the self-proclaimed communicator. The PPP in days gone by, hounded this man. It had his friends shot on the seawall and a fellow party member escaped to Canada. But this man who was close to Forbes Burnham and an ardent supporter of Desmond Hoyte (perhaps by pretence) was acquired by Jagdeo.
Others who were brutally treated in the past became Jagdeo’s choir boys and girls. Perhaps it was the promise of grand things.
A long time ago I recognised that people may have all the money in the world and still feel inferior to ordinary people. Take that person and promise him a diplomatic posting and suddenly he becomes important. The man with his money desperately wants power. He wants to strut with international characters, even if he cannot speak the language.
Jagdeo is also known to offer every Tom, Dick and Harry Lall whom he controls, but whom he needs in these days of the elections, duty-free concessions on high-end vehicles. He knows that his sycophants need to look important so he has played to their weakness.
While all this is happening, others take their gains for granted. How else can one understand that in the PPP areas there have been all the shenanigans with the ballot boxes?
How is it that only in PPP areas that dead people came from the dead to vote? Money was paid to people to supply the names of their dead relatives to the party. It was the same with those who left the country, remained overseas but voted.
There have been massive irregularities in these elections but these were planned since 2015. People were recruited and briefed. They were paid from the party coffers and by GECOM.
Meanwhile, the paid party servants flooded the newspapers with letters. Former presidents, the former prime minister, former ministers and party loyalists all penned letters. Sadly, the incumbents were not as visible or strident.
The PPP was as hostile as it was promising to its newfound friends. I saw the scathing attacks against people and their children. Who attacks the children?
Joseph Harmon has been critical of Jagdeo and his party. He has long been talking about how corrupt and destructive Jagdeo and his cohorts could be.
Jagdeo attempted to paint him as the most corrupt person in Guyana. Then he extended his attack to Harmon’s children, contending that they became very rich form Ill-gotten gains. The children have said nothing.
Business mogul Brian Tiwarie, once a close friend of Jagdeo and the PPP, parted ways with both. Recently he and his children came in for attacks from the PPP. He was accused of being Joe Harmon’s friend as if that is a crime.
Then there was the attack against his children. One daughter who was home on her birthday, Tuesday, was said to have deserted her children earlier in the day to leave for Florida. Her husband, a naturalized Guyanese was reminded of his origins.
The die is cast. I wait to hear about decency. Reporters were forced to spare Sam Hinds’s son. They could not attack Donald Ramotar’s children because it was not nice. Jagdeo has none, but many of his followers are parents.
They will cry foul when the time comes.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

Another week and another mountain of evidence unearthed to bring to the attention of GECOM and Guyana the extent to which some went to steal the government of Guyana. Another week and another set of attempts by the PPP to bully its way to power by changing the rules it agreed to. Another week and another set of attempts by external observer groups to usurp the role of GECOM and in the process assault Guyana’s sovereignty. Another week and another period of anxiety for the Guyanese people as they await an end to this long, winding road of self-searching.

From fake voters to dead voters to missing official documents to bloated voter-turnout, the instances of fraud keep coming to the fore. As recent as Friday, as many as 25 boxes from the East Coast of Demerara were discovered without accompanying documents. The East Coast of Demerara is part of the very Region Four, where the PPP claimed that its votes were allegedly stolen. This must be the biggest irony of the century whereby the accuser is found to be the accused. How can the absence of accompanying documents for so many ballot boxes from the strongholds of one participating party be a simple error?

If there were lingering doubts about the case being made by the APNU+AFC regarding the credibility of the elections, the discoveries this past week have put those to rest. The PPP has been arguing that GECOM does not have the authority to investigate and pronounce on the anomalies and irregularities uncovered by the coalition. We beg to differ. The recount order clearly says that the main objective of the exercise is to do precisely that. Here is what the order says in plain language: “And whereas the Guyana Elections Commission, in exercise of the authority vested in it under Article 162 of the Constitution and pursuant to Section 22 of the Elections Laws (Amendment) Act, No. 15 of 2000, seeks to remove difficulties connected with the application of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03, in implementing its decisions relating to the conduct of the aforementioned recount of all ballots cast at the said elections, including the reconciliation of the ballots issued with the ballots cast, destroyed, spoiled, stamped, and as deemed necessary, their counterfoils/ stubs; authenticity of the ballots and the number of voters listed and crossed out as having voted; the number of votes cast without ID cards; the number of proxies issued and the number utilised; statistical anomalies; occurrences recorded in the Poll Book.”

It is clear from that paragraph that the objective of the recount is to determine the credibility of the elections. Now, the PPP is attempting to disregard the recount order which it signed. It must be noted here that a gazetted order of this kind is a form of law– a supplementary law. It means GECOM is legally bound to satisfy the requirements of the order in its entirety. Nothing short of that would suffice. GECOM is not an arm of the PPP, nor is it the water-boy of external forces with biased agendas.

In this regard, we note that the OAS has pronounced on the recount before it is over. To begin with, such pronouncement is tantamount to direct interference in Guyana’s internal affairs in the most brazen manner. Second, the OAS’ pronouncement blatantly disregards the recount order. The OAS is telling Guyanese that the large volume of anomalies and irregularities are of no consequence, that they are mere irritants. Well, that is not a matter for the OAS; it is a matter for GECOM to decide. And further, we must add that in the case of a close election every single irregularity becomes pivotal to the final outcome. Finally, it is reckless for an organisation of such repute as the OAS to disregard the delicate nature of the situation in Guyana in pursuit of its solidarity with one contestant.

It is against this background that we call on GECOM to honour the letter and spirit of the recount order. The first line of action is to honestly and justly assess the mountain of evidence at its disposal. That has to be done in the context of the section of the order quoted above. We are aware that GECOM is under severe pressure from domestic and external forces, but its ultimate loyalty must be to the Guyanese people and the laws of the country.

We have now come to a pivotal moment in this long process which started long before polling day. It is important that we get it right. Too much is riding on such an outcome. Unfortunately, the recount has laid bare the kind of fraud that has plagued our electionss. This cannot be a time for business as usual. If we declare winners and losers while ignoring the high volume of demonstrated fraud, we would in effect be validating wrongdoing of the highest order, which could come back to haunt us yet again.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

THE discovery of 29 ballot boxes void of crucial statutory documents sparked a response from a Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), who contended that it was the instructions of the Region Four Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo to exclude the documents but this, other DROs have said, is far from the truth.

“Please be informed that instructions were given by Miss Carlyn Duncan (Clerk to the Returning Officer Mr. Clairmont Mingo-District # 4) to include only unused, valid and rejected ballots in the ballot boxes,” Deputy Returning Officer, Paul Jaisingh said in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.

Jaisingh was stationed at the Chateau Margot Primary School, where at least four of the 29 ballot boxes came from. The other boxes were submitted from other parts of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) corridor including Ogle, Lusignan, Montrose, LBI, Life Spring Ministries and Chateau Margot Nursery School.

In his letter, Jaisingh alleged that the instruction was communicated to Presiding Officers, who complied. “As a result the other documents were placed in the bag provided,” he contended while noting that the instruction was given on Election Day a few hours before the close of the poll. But the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, upon checking the poll bags as suggested by Jaisingh, came up empty handed.

Jaisingh’s contention has also been rejected by other Deputy Returning Officers, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward said in a statement on Saturday.
“A group of Deputy Returning Officers (DROs) who were responsible for clusters of Polling Stations on the East Coast of Demerara, Region 4 has submitted a signed statement to the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission refuting allegations that the Clerk to the Region 4 Returning Officer, Ms. Carolyn Duncan instructed them to advise the Presiding Officers to not include the official documents in the ballot boxes at the close of poll,” Ward said.

Contrary to the Jaisingh’s statement, the DROs reportedly informed the Elections Commission that they were particularly instructed by Duncan to remind the Presiding Officers to ensure that all statutory documents were in the ballot boxes before they were sealed.

“In this regard, the Guyana Elections Commission wishes to remind the public that in preparation for the conduct of General and Regional Elections 2020, all staff were adequately trained in accordance with the legal requirements and procedures to be followed,” Ward stated.

The DROs reportedly said that they were also advised by Duncan to make regular checks to all stations to ensure a smooth flow of the electoral process. In case of an emergency or any difficulty encountered, DROs were to make contact with Duncan. In light of this development, the Commission, Ward said, is making every effort to ascertain the whereabouts of the documents so that the objections in relation to the boxes with missing documents could be resolved expeditiously.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

…Sir Shridath urges

AS the national recount of votes cast at the March2, 2020 elections comes to a close, revered Guyanese Diplomat, Sir Shridath Ramphal, has urged citizens not to allow the country to slip into chaos.

“As Guyana nears the tipping point of its ‘elections crisis’ I plead with all my fellow Guyanese not to allow our motherland to descend into the darkness of denial of the rule of law and regularity,” Sir Shridath said in a terse statement on Saturday. He added: “As Guyanese, we owe it to ourselves, to the Caribbean Community, which we have helped to bring to life, and to the wider global community whose respect we have earned as an enlightened democratic State, not to debase ourselves by descent into the pit of lawlessness.”

He noted that in a matter of weeks, Guyana shall be appearing before the International Court of Justice at the worthy instance of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to appeal for global justice under international law against menace to our national patrimony. “Almost three-quarters of Guyana – of land and sea – is under threat. We must protect it with clean and united hands. Let lawfulness prevail in our country; unless it does, all of Guyana – and all its people – are imperilled!” Sir Shridath encouraged.

Back in March when the Caricom recount team was forced to retreat after the court granted an injunction against the process, Sir Shridath had said in a statement that, “in the darkness of disagreement, CARICOM’s helpful intervention in trying to resolve the general elections process at the request of both president Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, was a ray of light. All of Guyana should have welcomed it, as most Guyanese did. It is a wholly legitimate role of community that must not be smothered under any pretext whatever.”

He added: “It is utterly regrettable that, despite the highest-level agreement between the political leaders of Guyana and five CARICOM heads of government acting for the Community, the invited CARICOM team to oversee the recount of the votes, has had to withdraw. Guyana is being deprived of regional and international approval and the opportunity for global respect at a time when it matters most. CARICOM has not closed the door to proving the preciousness of its familial ties with Guyana; it can still play the role Guyana’s two political leaders agreed it should. What is required now is for all to place the interest of the nation above other narrow considerations that could mar the country’s prospects; and retard the strides that the people of Guyana have made collectively. I urge that peace and progress be pursued lawfully and transparently.”

In the run up to the elections, Sir Shridath again had urged citizens to remain peaceful– warning that nothing should be done to hinder the country’s progress as it gets ready to defend its territory before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“The closing days of a national elections and the days after it when it pronounces its democratic decision, those days are fractious ones in any democracy and Guyana is not immune from this, but we do have a greater need than usual to demonstrate to the world that our national motto [One People, One Nation, One Destiny] does describe us…The proceedings on the 23rd of March at The Hague will be about that destiny. It is my plea to all fellow Guyanese that between now and then, we do nothing to impair that destiny,” Sir Shridath implored. Sir Shridath said that “the eyes and the ears of the global community will be upon us in a few weeks-time” as the country defends its position that the Arbitral Award of 1899 remains intact.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

– DROs a ‘no-show’ at GECOM meeting 
– Commission decides to exclude SoRs from tabulation

By Svetlana Marshall
THE Elections Secretariat has thus far reached a dead-end in its search for critical documents that were discovered missing when 29 ballot boxes from the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) were opened at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre; and an attempt to meet with the Deputy Returning Officers (DRO) responsible for those documents was met with ‘a no show’.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), headed by Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, has since taken a decision to exclude the Statements of Recount (SORs) for those contentious ballot boxes, pending its decision.

The missing documents include counterfoils (used and unused ballots), Poll Books and marked Lists of Electors among other statutory documents; and an investigation by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, has not, so far, been fruitful.

“The poll bags have been checked but the documents were not found,” GECOM Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, said in a statement on Saturday. The boxes came from the Ogle Community Centre, Lusignan, Montrose Primary School, LBI Primary School, Chateau Margot Nursery and Primary Schools and Life Spring Ministries, among other areas.

The statutory documents were discovered missing on Thursday June 4, 2020 and Friday, June 5, 2020 and the issue was brought to the attention of the Elections Commission after the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) objected to the Statements of Recount generated for those ballot boxes being included in the tabulation exercise.

A meeting, according to Ward, was immediately convened by the Chair of GECOM with the Commissioners present at the Conference Centre at that time and the Chief Elections Officer.

“Following the discussions, the Commission decided that the SORs prepared for those ballot boxes should not be included in the tabulation at this point in time,” Ward explained. However, at the conclusion of the meeting, it was discovered that twenty-eight (28) of the twenty-nine (29) SORs were already tabulated.

As a result, the tabulation supervisor was advised to highlight those figures during the livestream on the ongoing tabulation for Region 4, pending a decision of the Commission. Further to that, the CEO was advised to investigate the reasons why the documents were not included in the ballot boxes and to ascertain where the documents could be found.
“It must be stated categorically that none of these missing documents are in the possession of the CEO. The poll bags have been checked but the documents were not found,” GECOM’s Public Relations Officer stated.

Importantly, some of the Deputy Returning Officers (DROs) responsible for those areas were invited to a meeting by the Chief Elections Officer on Saturday, and, while they committed to be present, they were a no show. “…as at 16:00hrs, no DRO showed up to be interviewed. Efforts would be made to contact the Presiding Officers who were responsible for the respective polling stations,” Ward noted.

The issue of the missing documents was the subject of a letter penned to the Chair of GECOM by the APNU+AFC on Saturday.

Lack of documents
Writing on behalf of APNU+AFC, Elections Agents Joseph Harmon and Minister Amna Ally said the lack of the critical documents has effectively affected the recount process. “There is no account and or explanation for the missing statutorily required documents. This means that there is no way for the Commission to verify that the ballots were issued to this polling station. Consequently the validity of any count from this box is in question,” Ally told the Elections Commission. It added: “Additionally, it cannot be substantiated that electors who cast ballot in these cases met the statutory requirements. In this circumstance the aforementioned Ballot Boxes should be set aside.”

The coalition, in the letter, also noted the limited ability of its agents to examine each and every ballot, and as such, they could not detect with any certainty the issues at hand.
“We continue to call for investigations and action in these matters and since the complaint of fraud is so clear, it is suggested that the Guyana Police Force can help GECOM to bring a speedy resolution to the issue,” APNU+AFC urged.

Weighing in on the issue on Friday, Elections Commissioner Vincent Alexander told reporters that the discoveries were strange, while pointing to the fact that the boxes originated from People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) strongholds. “A significant number of boxes from Thursday into Friday were found with only ballots in their contents. The other documents, the Official List of Electors (OLE), the counterfoils, all those documents which [are] supposed to give information about who should have voted, are not in the box. This is strange, and what is even stranger is that it’s coming in a cluster. It’s not one far and in between. There are those who would argue there were similar instances prior, but I myself don’t recall a similar instance where absolutely nothing else other than ballots [is] in the box. Here we have this apparent cluster,” Alexander posited. In addition to the cluster, coincidentally or not, all these boxes reflect exceedingly high figures for the PPP/C. The Elections Commission will today convene a meeting to determine the way forward.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

Dear Editor,

SINCE March 2, 2020, there has been much activity around the Recount Process. There are questions of its legality, and some see it as an act of commitment and good faith by His Excellency, President David Granger. The Recount Process was gazette, and all political parties were getting into gear; GECOM itself had to be in a state of readiness. In any electoral process, only a simpleton or persons not committed to fairness would negate or purposefully avoid the embrace of Credibility of the electoral process. And so, in a decision to embark on a Recount, the simpleton’s view is irrelevant and cannot be considered.
So what are the principles which should guide this process? First and foremost, it is the Legal framework under which the election was conducted; that framework has provided GECOM with the power to conduct the process, ensure the credibility and integrity of the process, and declare the results of the process. These are very important processes which must be operationalised by well-trained and committed persons; persons who are not easily corrupted should be identified as part of the process, because there are a number of processes which would allow the Guyanese citizenry to conclude whether the process is wholesome, with credibility and integrity. Much of what which must be followed by the staff of GECOM and the citizens is clearly defined in the Law, or the Administrative Manuals of GECOM. For example, all statutory documents must be placed in each Ballot Box before being sealed. Clearly, there is a reason why this is required; there is no room for the description of violation of the process as an anomaly or an irregularity. In the electoral process, the violation of these processes is fraudulent. In the words of the Former Attorney-General, Mr. Anil Nandall, “Fraud is fraud, and everything committed or tainted by fraud makes it a nullity Ab initio.” When the process, as defined, is not met in part or in the whole, how can anyone accept that all the processes related to the Box bears an iota of credibility and integrity. When a Box arrives without documents, in many instances, it is only the simpleton or the intellectual retard that would not understand that credibility and integrity has been trampled on. My count shows that approximately 11 to 12 enveloppes should be placed in the Ballot Box before it is sealed; had this Recount Agreement not taken place, fraudulent violations would not have come to the fore.

This basic understanding of the principles of credibility and integrity, and the compromise by fraudulent actions seem to knowingly escape the intellectual capacity and understanding of the Heads of Embassies and Missions accredited to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, a Sovereign State, who have also been accredited Observer Status to our elections on March 2, 2020. Their so-called admonitions and veiled threats to the country, and most of all to our Head of State, is out of character with the normal behaviour of members of the Diplomatic Corps. Their apparent lack of timing of their comments show disregard and disrespect. There can be difference, but there are processes by which one would expect them to voice their difference; that locus is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before these Heads of Mission arrived in Guyana, their details were presented by their governments to the Government and People of Guyana. After due consideration, they were accepted, and they presented their credentials. Now they have conducted themselves, not as diplomats but as part of a Mafia linked to Race, Power, Economics and Politics, disregarding the need to ensure that our electoral process is one of credibility and integrity. Our Head of State has been tolerant, since, in many other jurisdictions, a decision would have been made for them to be recalled. As Observers, their behaviour has been out of step with the norm. When the world is crying out for human justice, where are the voices of these Representatives speaking to the disenfranchisement of voters in Georgia and Wisconsin; vote-rigging in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania etc; voter-suppression in other jurisdictions. They speak of credibility, but are unable to define the elements of same, which are defined in our laws and administrative procedures. So I say to these Diplomats, and all Observers, you have got to be like Caesar’s wife, and your comments need to be studied and evidenced-based, so that, as a people, we can respect you. Guyana has had years of association with your countries, and hence we hold no major difference with your country, but their departure from the behavioural norms of diplomats.

In any electoral process, there are two phases: (1) The Qualitative phase, the elements of which speak to the Credibility and integrity of the process; (2) the Quantitative or numerical phase. The qualitative influences the second. And the words of Anil Nandall ring through and true. Hence an iota of fraud compromises the credibility and integrity of the first phase, and hence voids the second phase. Also in a country where the voting pattern is racially charged, one cannot risk the acceptance of descriptions of anomalies and irregularities.

Lastly, I have been puzzled by the behaviour of a former Minister, Kit Nascimento, who saw it fit while describing the security personnel of our Head of State to likening it to Idi Amin’s. I want to say to Mr. Nascimento that in the world today, the slogan ‘Black lives Matter’ is not singularly about the survival of Black people, but also about the respect for Black people and all Guyanese. He should know better, and by his comments, he not only disrespected President Granger as a Black man, but he also disrespected the office of Head of State. As Guyanese, of all the issues we must address is the issue which has eluded us, and failed to confront is that of RACE .

Regards,

Richard Van West-Charles

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

BY tomorrow I expect the completion of the recount of all valid ballots cast in the March 2, 2020 elections in Guyana. This will be the first of four stages – Recount, Report, Review and Results (4Rs) – to which the President, the Opposition Leader and the Elections Commission have agreed to resolve the impasse that followed claims of widespread rigging at the polls.

The seven-member Elections Commission, which is the sole constitutional body supervising all processes of the elections, has set June 13 as the date for completion of the recount, and June 16 as the outer date for announcement of the official results.

EMANCIPATION AND DEMOCRACY
These dates hold tremendous significance for the struggles of the Guyanese people for emancipation and democracy. June 16 marks the 72nd anniversary of the Enmore Martyrs; and June 13, the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Walter Rodney.

When colonial police killed five unarmed sugar workers in 1948, by cowardly shooting them in the back, it accelerated the struggles for trade union and industrial democracy. It was the catalyst for the formation of the colony’s first united national liberation movement– the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and also inflamed the passion for attainment of independence of our country from British imperialism.

But, as happened then in other oppressed territories such as Kenya and India, the colonial powers engineered political and social divisions, the legacy of which has haunted our countries long after independence.

In Guyana, after independence, there was a prolonged period of authoritarianism that resulted in struggles for restoration of electoral democracy and for a system of non-racial governance. Walter Rodney emerged as a prominent leader during a phase of popular insurgency to which state and para-state groupings responded with naked force. Walter was killed in a bomb explosion.

His tragic death gave impetus to the fight for the restoration of democracy in Guyana which, in 1992, held free and fair elections. That was an incomplete revolution of sorts as the genuine strivings for multi-ethnic democracy remain unsatisfied though a multi-party government took office for the first time in 2015, and fairly credible general and local elections have been held up to 2018.

DARK SHADOW
I have given a glimpse of the episodic events of 1948 and 1980 to show how the circumstances surrounding the 2020 elections have now cast a thick dark shadow over the gains of struggles over so many years. The reports of widespread acts of electoral fraud on March 2 have tainted not only the integrity of the ballot boxes but have compromised our short-lived enjoyment of credible elections post-1992.

It is fortunate, almost a saving grace, that our Courts have ordered a recount of ballots, which has revealed irregularities in almost all of the electoral districts. There has surfaced glaring evidence of ballot boxes literally stuffed with ballots marked for the PPP with no official supporting documents inside those boxes. Without validation from the voters list for those polling places, the identity of voters who cast ballots could not be ascertained. Those ballots, though legibly marked for a party, without proper legal identity of voters, could have been cast by phantoms!

As I see it, the Elections Commission already has the results of the 10 electoral districts which show that the APNU+AFC Coalition has won by a narrow margin. The Opposition does not agree that those results are credible, and has hinted at going to the Courts on the ground that “fraud vitiates everything”. That is its right.

But a de jure government has to be put in place, even out of necessity, in a situation where Guyana is battling the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of a Parliament and without a national budget. How the Elections Commission traverses this delicate situation will determine whether or not Guyana plunges into a blind spot of unprecedented socio-political and constitutional crises.

When the reports from the recount are submitted in a few days’ time, the Elections Commission will have an opportunity to review the observations. It could assign weight to the evidence of material irregularities to determine whether these could amount to fraud. This could be sufficient for a lawful authority to later vitiate the results, and to render the elections null and void as was the case in the 1997 elections when the Elections Commission had declared the PPP the winner and the President took the Oath of Office.

BURDEN OF FRAUD
In recent interviews with Mark Benschop and Rickford Burke, I have admitted how ashamed I am to know that the PPP, with which I have been associated for 50 years, could become a party to blatant electoral fraud. The 2020 dirty tricks have stripped the PPP of any and all pretences, once considered righteous and legitimate, to complain about electoral fraud. It has now exposed to ridicule its supporters who must unfortunately carry the burden of this fraud.

What is more shameful is that key PPP apparatchiks are in consort with foreign interests and agencies, and local reactionaries, to disrupt the national democratic order in a vulgar and desperate power-grab. They have become strange bedfellows since the major protagonists behind the fraud have been trained by Moscow, once deemed the Mecca of Communist revolutionaries!

“Cheddi Jagan,” I lamented during the interviews, “would have felt betrayed to see this vulgarity and betrayal”. It is sad that he had created a party that has survived the Cold War based on adherence to principles of democracy, nationalism, patriotism, and the defence of the ideals of freedom and liberty, only to see all these values being trashed.
I may be generous to feel that such crass behaviour is redeemable. We can revisit our mistakes, and we can correct them before they create schisms that we would be unable to heal, now or in the near future.

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

Dear Editor,

“THE law, as I have been saying, is the greatest invention of man, and the law says, that fraud is fraud. A fraud, once committed, makes everything a nullity; everything that is tainted by fraud is void, ab inito, meaning from the inception.”

Words beautifully put and passionately articulated by the man whose popularity in the PPP rivals its Maximum Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.
Those words, quoted verbatim, and spoken by the former Attorney-General, Mr. Anil Nandlall and televised for the world to see and hear, must not only be taken with the absolute seriousness it requires, because, in law, he is absolutely correct. But they must also be taken into context, in light of the daily happenings being unfolded.

It must be noted that, in law, fraud is defined as “the intentional deception” to secure “unfair” or unlawful gain, or to “deprive” a victim of a legal right.

Mr. Editor, it is significant to recognise that this spoken truth by Nandlall, that some would say is seldom, was presented before the recount, and was premised on an “allegation” of an unlawful act committed by Mingo, who made a legal declaration of District Four’s results, and, I daresay, it still is.

Contrary to Nandlall’s then claim, as I had previously mentioned, the credibility of the March 2, 2020 elections, coupled with the insurmountable evidence the Coalition has provided and continues to provide the Guyana Elections Commission, brings to the forefront the real legitimacy of the former Attorney-General’s position of fraud that was systematically done in all regions of the March 2, 2020 elections. The proof is in the evidence that was, and is being provided regularly by the Coalition.

Mr. Editor, what will GECOM do? Will they bow to international pressure being applied by daily visits of their local representatives to the GECOM Chair at the ACCC, where the national recount is ongoing? Or will they demonstrate the testicular fortitude of their better understanding and knowledge of Guyana’s political process and its history than any outsider could understand, to guide this “Guyanese” process?

Mr. Editor, These are some of the fundamental questions that GECOM has to, and must answer, not only for its own redemption as a credible independent body, but to clarify a direction for the population and the future of Guyana.
Again I ask, will GECOM put the Guyanese interest above international interest? Will they give validity to a process where the evidence implies that the credibility of the process was significantly compromised?

Mr. Editor, no one will accept that GECOM’s task will be an easy one, given the very rugged road that led to this present destination. Their prudent decisions must be guided by evidence beyond a numerical count that is in question.
With the alarming amount of unquestionable, indisputable and incontestable evidence of a definitely compromised electoral process, where fraud to deprive the people’s will was done, the question, which remains, what will be done, cannot go unanswered.

All eyes are apparently on the GECOM’s chairman, a woman who seems to be the “target” for uninvited guests, from scores of PPP/C representatives on a daily basis, for what, only GOD knows, as well as those from the international/diplomatic community who are “not interfering” in our sovereign democratic electoral process for self-determination, as they want us to believe.
Additionally, Mr. Editor, the CARICOM team is also experiencing a new brand of Guyanese hospitality, which they seem to have recognised but continue to conduct their affairs in a very professional manner.

I take refuge in knowing that the learned Justice and the CARICOM team will be guided by the evidence presented and the law.

The Chairman has demonstrated she is her own woman; a strong woman, who will not be bullied by anyone, at home or abroad.

The Chairman and her team have a Herculean task to arrive at the country’s most important decision.
Guyana’s interest is paramount, and the lives of all Guyanese matter; credible elections matter.
As stated in my embryonic remarks, referencing the profound words uttered by the former Attorney-General, “The law, as I have been saying, is the greatest invention of Man, and the law says that fraud is fraud. A fraud, once committed, makes everything a nullity; everything that is tainted by fraud is void, ab inito, meaning from the inception.”

Mr. Editor, it would be remiss of me not to state, emphatically, that the WILL of the Guyanese people must not be determined by a fraudulent process that lacks credibility, and, moreover, it must never ever be as a result of outside influences.
The world has seen the outcomes of such interferences, and the travesty that beholds such societies because of such. Hence, the Mullen’s report has indicated that the Russians interfered in the American 2015 elections, and the world is witness to the violations of the laws by police, the constant abuse of the media, blatant lies and countless abuse and deaths of many minority groups: Black Americans, the Latino community, etc. The George Floyd Movement speaks volumes. There were also interferences in Bolivia’s election and the elections of several other Latin and Central American countries, as well as the electoral process of parts of African and South African countries, and the experiences are grave and damning.

Mr. Editor, the outcome of these elections must be guided by the law, and the CARICOM team, which is the “only interlocutory authority” in this process, must be allowed to do its work to its conclusion.
We will only respect the views of our respected CARICOM body, and that of GECOM.

All others who present a distasteful audacity to speak and give independent and joint statements before CARICOM and GECOM are allowed to complete their work, must be responsible in understanding that their utterances can cause more harm than good to our fragile State.

Yours respectfully,
Jermaine Figueira

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020

…as GECOM warns against unauthorised pronouncement on election results

Even in the absence of a complete recount process as outlined in the Order, there have been unofficial reports announcing the results of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections but the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is warning against such actions – behind the backdrop that it is the only constitutional authority that can declare the results of the elections.

While the National Recount is almost to an end with just 74 ballot boxes left to be processed, the Elections Commission, in a statement on Saturday, reminded that GECOM is the sole constitutional authority mandated to pronounce on the results of the elections.
“In this regard, the Commission is urging political parties, organizations, interest groups and other individuals to desist from pronouncing publicly on the results of the elections,” GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward said.

As the recount winds down, a total of 93 ballot boxes from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) were processed. To date, votes within 2, 265 ballot boxes have been recounted from a total of 2, 339 ballot boxes. Additionally, 2,236 Statements of Recount (SORs) have been tabulated for the General Elections while 2,229 SORs have been tabulated for the Regional Elections.

Notably, all of the boxes from the other nine (9) Electoral Districts – Region One (Barima-Waini), Region Two ( Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). In total, votes within 2096 ballot boxes have been recounted.

But while the recount of the votes is near completed the declaration of the results, is not automatic, based on the order.

The amended order outlines the procedure to be employed, once a report of the recount is submitted to the Elections Commission by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.

The amended order states: “The Commission shall, after deliberating on the report at Paragraph 12, determine whether it should request the Chief Election Officer to use the data compiled in accordance with Paragraph 12 as the basis for the submission of a report under Section 96 of the Representation of the People Act, Cap 1:03, provided that the Commission shall, no later than three (3) days after receiving the report, make the declaration of the results of the final credible count of the elections held on the 2nd day of March 2020.”

According to Paragraph 12 of the Order, the matrices for the recount of the 10 Electoral Districts must be tabulated by the Chief Elections Officer, and a report submitted to the Elections Commission, together with a summary of the Observation Reports for each District.

In the not so distant past, Elections Commissioner Vincent Alexander had explained that, in accordance with the amended order, the Chief Elections Officer is required to submit his Report on the National Recount no later than June 13.
He noted that once the report is deliberated upon by the Elections Commission, it will determine whether the Chief Election Officer should use the data to compile a final report for the declaration of the results.

Commissioner Alexander explained that during the deliberation on the report submitted on the recount, the Elections Commission will confirm or negate whether persons voted in the place of the dead or individuals who were out of the jurisdiction on E-Day, in addition to a number of other anomalies that have surfaced since the commencement of the recount.
But Elections Commissioner Sase Gunraj, in a separate interview, had offered a slightly different explanation, which suggested that the results of the elections ought to be declared three days after the June 13 deadline. “Finally, the Order specifies the time within which a declaration has to be made by the Guyana Elections Commission of the final results of the elections held on the 2nd of March, 2020, and that date is no later than three days from the 13th day of June, 2020,” Gunraj had said.

While Alexander, in his discourse, indicated that the Commission will deliberate on, among other things, the Observation Reports ahead of any declaration, Gunraj has long maintained that GECOM has no such authority.

“GECOM has taken no decision; the Commission has taken absolutely no decision in so far as it relates to treating with any of the issues that have arisen, or may arise during this recount process,” Gunraj contended. To date, more than 1,500 ballot boxes have been processed from a total of 2,339.”
The National Recount, which commenced on May 6, 2020, is being executed under Article

162 of the Constitution, and Section 22 of the Elections Law (Amendment) Act under the supervision of the Elections Commission, based on an agreement reached between President David Granger and Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo following the intervention of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_06-07-2020