DISHONESTY AND DISHONOUR

Mar 15, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Not many people thought that the rigging of the 1985 elections would have been bettered. Thirty-five years later, a new generation of Guyana can lay claim to witnessing the most blatant and bald-faced rigging of an election ever.
The rigging of the 2020 general and regional elections was the clumsiest and most indecent act of cheating imaginable. Unlike in 1973 and 1980, general elections and the referendum of 1980, the rigging was blatant and took place in full view of international observers and party polling agents. At least Burnham did his behind closed doors.
Guyana has an unenviable record of electoral rigging. But this one outdid all. Peter D’Aguiar, a former ally of the PNC, had declared of the 1968 elections: “To call it an election is to give it a name it does not deserve; it was a seizure of power by fraud, not election.” The 1973 elections were branded as “fairy tale elections”.
The British Parliamentary Group of Observers described the 1980 elections as being more “crooked than barbed wire.” The 1985 elections were the worst, being marred by blatant fraud, intimidation and violence.
But the 2020 elections set a standard of barefaced rigging which is not likely to be ever surpassed. It was shameless.
An indelible and dirty blot has been laid on the nation. Guyana is once again the pariah of the western hemisphere. It is a most disgraceful title to have and one which will have serious implications for all Guyanese.
There was a time when Guyanese were the laughing stock of the Caribbean because electoral fraud ended up in economic problems which forced Guyanese to have to flee to the small islands of the Caribbean for rescue. People used to laugh at Guyanese accusing them of only being allowed US$40 to travel. Employers in foreign lands took advantage of the desperation of our people. Up to this day, there are persons who still look down on our people.
All Guyanese are losers. Ironically, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which is perhaps the greatest victim of the rigging which took place this past week. GECOM has lost all credibility. Public confidence in it has been destroyed. It can no longer even be trusted to conduct an election for the Boy Scouts.
The international community since 1992 has poured considerable resources into building the capacity of GECOM. It did not cater for the shenanigans of the PNCR. What took place last week was a culmination of years of plotting, resulting in the kidnapping of the independence of GECOM.
It is doubtful whether the international community will ever again pump any more money into rebuilding that institution. And so Guyana faces an uncertain future. In one stroke of dishonesty last week, the labours of more than thirty years all came tumbling down.
The people are now defenceless against the mercilessness of government. It would be foolhardy of the opposition to take up seats on the opposition benches. This would be an act of concession, something which they should not do.
But the absence from parliament creates a vacuum in the National Assembly. It also gives the government licence to do as they please – including leaving another US$55B at the negotiating table.
Guyana now faces an uncertain future. The international community has no choice but to act as they have acted in other parts of the world. There will be sanctions for sure on Guyana. This is unavoidable, since there are countries in which the western world have a greater interest, and on which they were forced to apply sanctions.
The combined opposition is likely to maintain the loose alliance, which was forged during the tabulation process. A strong international lobby to ostracise the government is likely also to be launched, and a united opposition would likely have greater success.
My advice to all young Guyanese who got consumed in the tribal elections campaign is to seek a future outside of Guyana. This country has no coming back. The rape of electoral democracy has destroyed whatever slim chances it had after that US$55B was left on Exxon’s negotiating table.
Apply for your visas before the country is classified as a rogue state, because once it gains this classification, capital and human flight will increase and visas to western nations will be come as scarce as Guyana’s electoral honesty.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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