Dear Editor
THE events that have unfolded over the past four days at GECOM is nothing short of an assault on Guyana’s democracy and sovereignty. It is tantamount to treason that the People’s Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, general-secretary and accompanied by men with guns barged into GECOM in the wee hours of the morning. On March 4, 2020, at approximately 2:30am, the presidential candidate of the PPP, accompanied by several representatives on the party’s list of candidates and men with guns, descended on the GECOM Command Centre on Hadfield Street and Avenue of the Republic.
Following this, during the afternoon hours of March 5th, 2020, representatives and candidates of the PPP again accompanied by men with guns barged into the GECOM Command Centre while the results for Region Four were being counted. There are pictures and video evidence showing exactly what transpired. On both occasions GECOM staff and leadership were threatened with violence. In the case of the early-morning assault on the Command Centre, an official involved in the counting of votes for Region Four was threatened. Added to this, GECOM’s Chairperson was also threatened and falsely imprisoned in her office on the afternoon of March 5, 2020.
Undoubtedly, these attacks are by design and orchestrated in no short measure by Mercury Public Affairs, the same company that Donald Trump used to suppress and influence the votes of minority groups in the USA, in particular African Americans, and to undermine the integrity of the electoral process there as well; recall the Russian meddling in the 2016 elections in the USA. The U.S. State Department noted that the Russian Government interfered in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election with the goal of harming the campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the candidacy of Donald Trump and increasing political and social discord in the United States. There are several illegalities that took place on March 4 and 5, 2020. These are but a few that have been noted. Never in the history of Guyana have we seen a political party descend to such depravity and criminality against the State. I do hope the international community, CARICOM, as well the component authorities are paying keen attention.
Regards
R. Chung-A-On
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-8-2020