A political solution is needed to what has become a political problem

Mar 22, 2020 Letters

Dear Editor,

Guyana’s election results are no longer a count problem. The count would reveal a winner and other (defeated) side would reject it. The behaviour of the government over the last couple weeks suggests it is seeking a political solution to the declaration of the results of the March 2 elections.
The government and Gecom as well as the observers and diplomats know the outcome of the elections. The preliminary count from the authentic SOPs revealed to all and sundry who won. It would be untenable for the Presidential candidate of a defeated party to claim victory and be sworn in as President even if Gecom were to declare the defeated party victorious. The international community already pronounced on any attempt of such a misadventure. No party leader will risk the consequences of being sworn in on a fraudulent count.
The ruling APNU led coalition had ample opportunities to request a political solution. The five Caricom heads came to Guyana and offered their service and urged the government and opposition to allow the SOPs for Region 4 to be correctly counted in accordance with the law. This was rejected. Then Caricom Chair Mia Mottley of Barbados offered her personal intervention to find a solution to the count. But Caricom’s proposed solution of a correct count would have found favor with one side over the other; one party would have won and the other side is not prepared to concede defeat.
A political solution is needed to what has become a political problem. Some towering personality from America (say a Jesse Jackson, or Bill Clinton, or Barack Obama, or Colin Powell, or some other such figure or even in combination) would be needed to find a resolution of what has now become a political problem. Such a personality would have to convince the defeated side to chuck in the towel and simultaneously convince the winner to offer a share of the government to the loser. The loser should signal that it is prepared to accept a brokered solution if given a role in government. And any solution must have a role for the smaller parties that stood on the side of democracy.
Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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