Bharrat Jagdeo does it again

Dec 01, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

This column would have been submitted before the results of the election. Tomorrow I will begin to assess why victory for one party, and why the loss for the others. Today, I look at some issues surrounding the elections. We start with Mr. Jagdeo’s press conference yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Jagdeo was predictable as usual – immense contradictions. He painted a picture of mischief in the making by the opposition. Threats were made that those who attempt to stir up violence will be dealt with condignly.
You would think that by listening to Mr. Jagdeo his party is on the receiving end of nasty conspiracies. But at the very press conference, Mr. Jagdeo could be accused of instigating mischief himself. He referred to text messages with incitement to commit awful things and that APNU was one of the senders. Yet when asked by a reporter if he had the evidence, he had none. Mr. Jagdeo is quite aware that on the worldwide web, people can do anything, and I mean anything.
Mr. Gerhart Ramsaroop of the Alliance for Change rang me to say that on my FaceBook there is a threat being issued by me against Robert Persaud. Gerhart told me he didn’t know that I had a FaceBook account. Mark Benschop rang. Stella Ramsaroop rang. But the fact is I don’t have a FaceBook account and I am not interested in having one.
Mr. Jagdeo was irresponsible in telling the nation that APNU was engaging in incitement to violence.
Actual occurrences during and after the election do not support Mr. Jagdeo’s postures that the opposition is a plotting organization. First, Mr. Kwame Mc Coy who works closely with President Jagdeo, was photograph being escorted out of a polling station by the police.
Secondly, Mr. Jagdeo’s advisor on empowerment may be charged by the police for a violent incident in which he is alleged to have assaulted a GECOM official.
Thirdly, one of Mr. Jagdeo’s closes colleagues, Mr. Manniram Prashad, was refused entry into a station that he insisted on entering and the police had to be called in.
Juan Edghill did exactly the same things. Both independent dailies reported all the details of each case.
Finally, an APNU polling agent alerted officials that a man had a ballot box. At the time of writing, he was in police custody. Where are the published facts about the misbehaviour of APNU and AFC politicians?
Mr. Jagdeo told the press conference that all the parties knew the election results late the evening or the next day because they had the statements of poll. But it was the PPP, not APNU or AFC, that chose to ask for extensive recount. As the recount delayed the announcement of the results, rumours took hold of the nation; tall stories began to grow. The PPP then withdrew its second request for a recount. But if the danger was not in the air, would the PPP have cancelled its second recount request?
At the time of writing, all political parties have agreed to accept the final shape of the elections. But Mr. David Granger has warned that APNU would only tolerate the outcome that resides in the statements of poll that were signed at the close of the balloting. Obviously, APNU and the AFC know what are contained in those documents. This seems to me to be fair position of Mr. Granger. Some things are a bit amusing in relation to the statement GECOM’s Chairman made about Guyana being a large country and airstrips were flooded therefore ballot boxes could not have been flown out.
Unfortunately, the chairman didn’t mention in which region this flood occurred. Now forgive me for my ignorance when I ask; aren’t the statements of poll that tell you the results rather than the actual ballots in the box after the counting is finished?
But GECOM’s Chairman did refer to the flood preventing the transport of ballot boxes. Anyway, be that as it may, why at 18.00 hours on Wednesday when this article is being penned, there isn’t the official result?
What is exasperating is the GECOM Chairman has not given a reason for the non-announcement a day after voting closed much less two days. When at a GECOM press conference, Mr. Granger referred to unwarranted delay in announcing the results, the Chairman hit back and said that he knows of no unwarranted delay.
By the time you get this KN copy in your hand, you will know who won the 2011 national elections. But I suspect that we will have at last the politics of compromise because no party will get a majority in Parliament.

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Bharrat Jagdeo does it again

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