A relief that the election is over

Aug 04, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

It has been a long struggle to have the right winner declared in the elections. August 2 will be long remembered. What a relief for those of us who were in the forefront of the battle championing democracy and the right to count the ballots. I participated in several election battles to have the ballots correctly counted going back to the first rigged election of 1968. Never before have I seen such global unity over the last five months to combat electoral fraud. And not since 1973 did I experience such a large majority of Guyanese at home and in the diaspora united to oppose rigging.
From March 3, while in Guyana, I was appealing to the parties to respect the will of voters. Myself, and a few others, worked behind the scenes to get international forces (politicians, governments, organizations) to cajole the parties to accept the vote count and recount. Some didn’t wish to have their names known for fear of consequences. As a veteran of the struggle for free and fair elections going back to the 1960s, I didn’t mind my name in public glare for participating in an honourable act. Not surprisingly, recognition, congratulations and words of gratitude came in from India, Trinidad, Canada, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore for the work we quietly did as some of us also did between 1973 and 1992 to restore voting rights in Guyana. The right to vote is fundamental in any democratic state and parties must be willing to accept the outcome. The experience in fighting for free and fair elections between 1966 and 1992 and between 2015 and 2020 will never be forgotten. I can write volumes on my travels in meeting important voices and courting their support for democracy in the homeland. Those who experienced the fraud and fought against it would have the feel to write about it.
Almost every Guyanese in the diaspora and at home intensely followed the elections during the campaign and thru August 2. In fact, the globe watched what transpired since December 21, 2018 following the successful no confidence motion and the refusal of the fallen government to accept global parliamentary norm. Every decent person condemned the fraud. Every democratic country and international organization condemned the fraud.
Everywhere in the diaspora and even in other parts of the globe, there is celebration that the election impasse is finally over. There were euphoric displays in the US, Canada, UK, and Trinidad. Guyanese and the international community are relieved. The nation and the diaspora want to move on. Congratulations to Dr. Irfaan Ali and team. It is a victory well deserved. I salute and applaud the work done by colleagues in the diaspora to lobby foreign forces to pressure the defeated coalition to throw in the towel. David Granger did right in conceding. Reforms would be needed to safeguard the right to vote and the count of ballots.

Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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