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PPP will only win by buying votes and possibly stirring up racial tension

Mar 08, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
I read with great interest M. Maxwell’s letter dated 4 March 2015, titled “The numbers favour the PPP in a two-horse race”. While I do understand his sentiments, and share some of his arguments, for the PPP to win the elections I do not agree the demographics are in their favour.
In fact, a number of other factors including the same demographics will do the opposite.
The PPP has significantly withheld the census results, and one can speculate many reasons, but until they deny, they are hiding the population census  because of the disparity it will give on two fronts, the new ethnic makeup of the country, which is unfavourable to its Indian base support, and disaggregation of adult or voting age population also along the line of ethnicity.
Thus, unlike Maxwell, the impact of this demographic change is going in the other direction. The Indian population, by virtue of its net-migration viz a viz Africans, both legal and illegal, has suffered a marked reduction, caused by the wanton hopelessness, failed promises, and poor economic conditions. As such, the Indian numbers are not on the side of the PPP, and that figure could be well below 40%, as low as 35%. Therefore, in view of the horrible misuse of taxpayers’ dollars, coupled with inadequate economic opportunities for ordinary citizens over the years, for the PPP to
obtain a significant part of Indian votes the only option would be to play up more than ever the Indian race card in many different ways, including both in public and bottom house campaign meetings, in subtle ways, possibly inciting racial hatred through African violence on Indians, among other was.
Of course not all 35 percent will vote for the PPP, say an average of 25 percent do, where would the remaining 25 percent come from? Given the PPP’s current record, their disrespect for Amerindians, and ill-treatment of Africans and Mixed Guyanese, desperate people do desperate things, and part of those tactics could be vote buying. Vote buying takes many, many forms.
Handouts are given to major influential groups, such as those from remote parts of the country. Paying people to vote, while this may appear tricky, photographs of a voter’s ballot sheet is circulated by cellular phone after the voter has marked his X to confirm the deal. Voters can also be on the lookout for party scrutineers or pseudo-electoral officials accompanying them to the voting booth. Already one has been hearing in the fields of $50,000 being paid to secure votes. Then there is the potential buying out of electoral officials, particularly at the place of poll.
The stakes have become very high for the PPP, so the population, especially the coalition team, has to be extra vigilant in their campaigns.
Latchman Singh

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