Key institutions have been corrupted

Apr 21, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The presence of international observers for the recount of the ballots cast during the 2020 general and regional elections is crucial to the transparency of the process and for wider public acceptance of the results.
The Guyana Elections Commission cannot be trusted to undertake a transparent process unless there are independent eyes watching its every move. It does not matter if it takes a week to get all the observers here. Their presence must be insisted upon, because without them there are likely to be attempts at corrupting the process.
The senior officers of GECOM must voluntarily withdraw from the process so as to support greater public confidence in the recount. The absence of these officers, notwithstanding their positions within GECOM, will enhance create greater comfort and reduce the possibility of complaints in the process.
It may be asking the impossible, but the rabble rousers and mischief-makers from the political parties should be asked to self-isolate during the recount. This will ensure an orderly recount
The Chairperson of GECOM Justice Claudette Singh has made a simple task more complex by her ill-advised decision to approach the Prime Minister in relation to the recount. She is a legal mind, and ought to know that the Prime Minister has no locus standi when it comes to providing derogation from the COVID-19 social restrictions.
The Prime Minister is only the Head of the COVID 19 Task Force. He does not have the authority to designate the recount as an essential service. It is outside of his remit. The restrictions were made under the Public Health Ordinance, and were done under the hand of the de facto Minister of Public Health. It is she who ought to have been approached to designate the recount as an essential service. Fortunately, the President intervened and provided the necessary assurance concerning the hours of operation and the testing of those who will be arriving to observe the recount.
There are still to be many twists in the drama. No one is yet convinced that further attempts will not be made to rig the recount.
The international community has a fair idea of who won the elections. They have asked for a transparent and credible count of the votes. A total recount has been agreed to, even though this is unnecessary – since it is only District 4 results which were contentious. But in the interest of satisfying everyone, a full recount it shall be.
Guyana has to move forward after this recount. It will not move forward if there is further jiggery-pokery during the recount. The international community will not stand idly by and allow for a President to be sworn in based on results which lack credibility.
President Granger and Irfaan Ali are mature enough individuals to know the implications of an illegitimate regime. Guyana will be unable to avoid serious international sanctions, unless there is a clean and transparent recount process.
The past 46 days have revealed the extent of the damage which was done to key institutions. GECOM’s credibility has taken a hit – this institution, into which billions of dollars was pumped, has been perverted and corrupted by dishonest and corrupt persons within its Secretariat.
The entire GECOM has to be rebuilt if electoral democracy is to survive. It is doubtful whether this can happen with new leadership on the Commission itself.
During the electoral impasse, the conduct of the Guyana Police Force left much to be desired. It failed to demonstrate independence. But then it has never done so. The Guyana Police Force will have to be reformed if democracy is to survive.
The least said about the justice system at this stage is best.
Coalition politics has taken a serious blow. The losers of the elections lost because of a fallout in public confidence in coalition politics. The small parties, underprepared and underfinanced, performed extremely credibly in District 4. This augurs well for them. Political parties as institutions have some reflecting to do. While they are doing that, they should give Guyana a chance to live. The coronavirus is already doing untold damage to the economy, and it will be like adding injury to injury if there is an attempt to steal the elections during the recount, as so many expect.

(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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