An Open Letter to the PPP

May 14, 2015 Letters

Dear PPP/C,
I wish to tell you a story about democracy. Supposedly you know all about it, but clearly you have forgotten how it is practiced.
An election was just held in your country, witnessed and monitored by a phalanx of highly-respected local and international observers. All present, including the emissaries of several G8 nations, declared the elections to be free and clear, devoid of any attempt to subvert the democratic will of the populace.
The people of this country went to the polls in droves, determined to vote for the party of their choosing, determined that their vote will count. Did you see the pictures of the differently-abled and extreme elderly making their laborious and time-consuming way to the polls? That was not easy, as some polling places were distant and took an effort to reach.
Now that this phase of the process has been completed and we have trusted the elections authority to count and correctly tally up the figures, why, in the name of all that is holy, all that we hold dear, are you delaying the release of the results? This is not an ephemeral, collaborative-type situation, there is a definite winner and a clearly-defined loser. Yes, there were hiccups, as no Election Day is completely glitch-free, even in the most efficient of democracies. But, the incontrovertible, undeniable fact remains: you have lost the election to govern Guyana.
Have the grace and dignity to respect the choice of the Guyanese people. I know we may not look like much, but you can be sure that we know what we do not want, and that is you. For the love that you bear this nation, for the ideal of ‘progress’ that you espouse, please do not drag us into the immoral and unconscionable morass of uncertainty, whilst you posture about the numerous real and/or imagined slights your agents encountered at the polls. The world’s leading democratic institution, the Carter Center, has declared the elections to be free and fair. What better endorsement do you require to accept the results of the poll?
When the Democratic Party lost the U.S. presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, I was devastated. It was difficult and near impossible to face a future with a government whose policies vastly differed from my own. As a Muslim in America, it was even more worrying. The Democratic Party seemed destined for the political wilderness for a generation or more. But, as you have seen, the Party in 2008 was resurgent, offering up a candidate with a funny-sounding name and a Kenyan father. A candidate who spent a significant amount of his childhood in a Muslim country was elected to two terms. His election represented the purest expression of the democratic will of the American people.
This is the best example I can suggest for you. Regroup, rethink and reinvent your political party. Somewhere along the way, you ceased to be what the Guyanese people need or want. Consider that carefully and work on self-correcting. Personally, I think you have fundamentally lost your way, and departed from the core principles that gave you a moral authority. Democracy is wonderful in how forgiving the process of free choice can be. In five years, if you really wish to contest again for the governance of this nation, do so. Be the opposition that contributes positively and constructively to the legislature. Demonstrate to the Guyanese people that you heard them, their vote mattered and you have reformed the party that was once the champion of the most downtrodden of citizens.
Yield gracefully and with dignity. Put an end to the contortions that will only stress a nation that is already fraught with tension. Show this beautiful country and its people that you have learned from this experience: do what is right and honourable, concede that you have been defeated, this time.
Scheherazade Ishoof Khan

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