Reopening the Claims and Objections period cannot save the day for the PPP/C

Jul 14, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The clarion call now being made by Donald Ramotar and the PPP/C, for GECOM to re-open the claims and objections period, exposes the PPP/C’s calculated move to attempt to delay and derail the 2011 election process.
Both Ramotar and his party are caught with their pants down, they failed to recognize that the Guyanese people were not prepared to let them ride this year out without the holding of National and Regional Elections.
They were busy trying to dodge the constitutionally due elections, and spent all of their energies, and time trying to hoodwink the Guyanese people and force them into accepting the current regime for an extended period.
For them, aiding the registration process was irrelevant and unimportant, thus there was little or no effort made by the PPP/C to encourage Guyanese to stand in line and have their names put on the voters’ list.
So, yes, the PPP/C neglected to assist even their supposed supporters to get registered.
I can, however, attest to the fact that since 2008, the PNCR has been rigorously urging on citizens to register. With the lack of any voter education programme by GECOM, the PNCR had the devil’s job to expend both human and financial resources to educate the masses and to get them involved in the registration process.
The party’s massive ‘foot slugging’ exercise targeted Guyanese regardless of constituency, real or perceived. My observation is that people were desperately in need of information and assistance regarding registration. I have witnessed that many, upon being apprised as to the process, immediately took action to regularize themselves.
Had the PPP/C and others been involved in this process, they would not have to be wasting people’s time to attempt to take us ten steps backward. However, it was clear that the PPP/C had no interest in the holding of elections this year.
If we reflect on the series of events we will remember that that party was aggressively pushing a Jagdeo third term campaign, through its paid surrogates. However, Guyanese stood their ground and dismissed their rotten idea.
With the third term notion cast into the dustbin, the PPP/C concocted another scheme, this time it was to again test the constitution by hoping to deliberately refuse to hold constitutionally due elections in 2011. Their plan was to bully the nation into accepting Jagdeo and the PPP/C as president and government for an extended period (third term in disguise), they even reportedly sought extensive legal advice on the matter.
Mr. Corbin and the PNCR made it their duty to repeatedly expose this new plot, which Guyanese again rejected, totally.
What is important to note is that registration was ongoing during the time of these PPP/C distractions, but clearly that party and its leaders had no interest since it had concluded that the people were foolish enough to fall for their scams, but again Guyanese proved them wrong.
So now when the PPP/C leaders have finally come to the realization that their time in office has effectively expired they have become even more desperate.
The ‘bully boy’ tactics are now targeted at GECOM, with almost an everyday clamour for the registration process to reopen.
The government, without shame, calls on GECOM to relax the rules. Mind you, it was this same government who GECOM claimed did not give it money to conduct voter education programmes.
So many people were not involved in the process because of lack of information. I recalled speaking to a fish vendor who was adamant that the registration process is only for persons 14-18 years old. He was of the firm belief that he need not register, since he had his old ID card.
So, from the start, the PPP/C made this process difficult for citizens and this was done because they were confident that Guyanese would have given them a free pass to disregard the constitution, by failing to hold elections in 2011.
However, since the PPP/C now sees the writing on the wall, it is clear that the new tactic appears to be to distract attention by unleashing an all too familiar approach, which is mainly to cuss out just anybody and anything, while attempting to play bully politics on GECOM.
So, Jagdeo attacking APNU falls into their grand scheme of things, it also emphasizes how desperate and worried the regime has become, it will stop at nothing and the Guyanese people will have to continue to keep the PPP/C on the radar.
Political parties have made it clear that they are not interested in reopening the claims and objections period, but the government says that GECOM must. I figure this is a last-ditch effort to see whether something ‘salty’ can be done to derail the elections. However, Guyanese will not have it, we have all suffered enough and no reopening of claims and objections can salvage the moment for the PPP/C. The writing is on the wall. Guyanese are fed up. Enough is enough. It’s time to move on. Let’s get on with the process of restoring good and meaningful government to Guyana. No amount of ‘blabberishness’ coming from the Harry Gills, Mike Persauds and the like can turn back the tide. The die is already cast.
A promise to now reduce VAT after strangling Guyanese for all these years with its 16% will not work. People are asking where that decision was when we were protesting against the same VAT day after day. Where was this conscionable government? People will not be hoodwinked by these latest acts of ‘eye pass’. Following this VAT “fat talk”, I am now wondering if we will hear that there will now be a master plan to fight crime.
Further, reopening the registration process certainly will not save the day for the PPP/C, it is done.
Lurlene Nestor

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