The voters have spoken

Nov 23, 2018 Letters

Dear Sir,

Now that the Local Government Elections are finished I would like to make a few comments and observations.
I am very angry and upset to hear the politicians and even GECOM saying that the poor turnout is due to lack of voter education. This is pure garbage. The 36% turnout is due to people being fed-up with the politicians of this country. Apathy stalks this land.
For too long politicians have taken Guyanese for granted with the PNC believing that they own Afro Guyanese and the PPP believing that they own Indo Guyanese. Well I have some news for them; the people are smarter than them and although they will not tell the politicians in their face, they know how to deal with them on elections day. The message of the 36% turnout is that it will not be business as usual.
The AFC thought they could have tricked the people, especially Indo Guyanese, by promising them the moon and the stars so that they could get into power. And what is the consequences of their trickery? They have been wiped out at the LGE.
I must thank President Granger for cutting them loose and sending them to the slaughter house to be decimated. I observed a few days ago, for the first time since the 2015 elections, the APNU and the AFC hosted a joint press conference where Prime Minister Nagamootoo trumpeted how strong and united they are and the coalition is preparing from now to win the 2020 elections. Hypocrisy to the highest extent !!!
Where was the unity when the AFC was begging the APNU for them to go to the elections as a coalition and they were told to go and show me how much support you have. Well the rest is history and I guess Nagamootoo and Ramjattan are now singing for their supper.
As for the PNC, their supporters were also fed-up with them and they could not bring themselves to vote for the PPP, so the alternative was to stay home and not vote. They too were hoping that with their party in power, life would have been better for them.
But they are now disillusioned, and are seeing only the big ones, their families and friends enjoying the good life whilst their lot remains the same or even worse. As for the PPP, whilst they have won a majority, they should not rejoice with a 36% voter turnout. It means that with 64% of the people not voting they are not assured of victory in 2020, because anything can happen from now to then.
Whilst some Indo Guyanese might have gone back to the PPP, I know many have also stayed home and not voted. And even if the PPP can bring out its entire base, likewise the PNC or coalition for the 2020 elections, none of them are guaranteed victory.
They have to garner votes from the 25-30% of the people who are fed-up and disillusioned with the politicians of this country and can punish either of the two parties.
I would therefore like to take this opportunity to support people like Ralph Ramkarran, Dr.Henry Jeffery, Dr.David Hinds and others who are calling for constitutional reform to take us out of this quagmire we are in.
Let’s face it; we are in a life and death situation when it comes to elections in this country and we cannot continue like this. As Finance Minister Jordan said, “The 2020 elections will be the mother of all elections, because which party wins will get their hands on the oil money” speaks volume to politics in this country and therefore we must have constitutional reform to avoid violence and killings.
God forbids, after the 2020 elections when one party will not accept the results of the elections.
The Guyanese people deserve better and with oil money coming, constitutional reform and a national unity government after the elections, we can begin to dream of a good life for all and not a few. For my part, I will do everything in my power to influence and convince my fellow Guyanese that constitutional reform is the way to go for a brighter and prosperous future for all of us. We deserve nothing less.

Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Imtiaz Baccus.

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