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The PNC is hypocritical when it speaks about democracy

Dec 06, 2020 Letters

Dear Editor,

What is the reaction of the masses when the PNC speaks about ‘democracy, the rule of law and upholding the Constitution’? Hypocrisy to the core!
It seems that the holding of local government elections on a timely basis is all that is required to bear testimony that the PNC respects the Constitution. Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon seemed to forget that during its five-year term in office, they continuously disregarded and violated our Constitution, spurned the rule of law and attempted on more than one occasion to kill democracy. The PNC should never ever utter the word ‘democracy’. The PNC’s pretentious cries to hold the LGE before ‘sanitizing’ GECOM and getting rid of the PNC riggers must not be allowed to gain traction.
We must be cognizant of the fact that the democratic process in our country is triggered off by GECOM holding a free and fair election. We have seen that for five long months, the many attempts by the PNC controlled faction of GECOM tried tirelessly to rig the 2020 Elections in favour of the PNC dominated Coalition. The justice system was compromised in some instances but democracy owes a debt of gratitude to Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire who upheld the Rule of Law despite many attempts by the Coalition to influence her decision through street protests. From those 5-month indicators, it is clear that democracy will die unless the PPP/C can now ensure that all the corrupt players within GECOM are surgically removed. The Mingos, the Lowenfields and the Myers must be expunged. It is time that GECOM be staffed with persons, especially in key positions, who are of high integrity and politically neutral.
Recently, after making a few subtle threats about not holding the LGE as it is constitutionally due, such as, ‘the PPP is insulting the Guyanese Nation’, ‘there will be pressure’, ‘we will internationalize the issue’, Harmon then summed up by stating that, ‘Protest is one form of action. There are other forms which we are considering but the PPP must understand that we will not sit by and see them trample on the rights of Guyanese people, we will not sit by and see them violate our Constitution with impunity’. Again, the threat of protest action and violent protests are the only tactic, which the PNC is adept at and has nothing else to contribute to nation building. The former President Granger backed his buddy by saying that, President Ali does not have the right to ‘toy’ with the Constitution. Well of course, only Granger has that ‘right’ and prerogative. President Ali was clear that, ‘I am not getting into Local Government Elections now. As a people and the media…what we have to do is to fix what is there first and we have to ensure that we have a system that is working and a system that people trust and a system that is professional and a system that operates in an unbiased manner so that the people of our country can contribute’.
Vice President Jagdeo added a further clarification when he said that funds will be set aside for the holding of those elections, but he maintained that “criminal elements” attached to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must be removed. What is so wrong with this when Guyanese here and in the Diaspora and the world at large witnessed the most shameless and blatant attempt by GECOM’s CEO and the Deputy CEO, the Returning Officer of Region 4 and other GECOM officials to rig the 2020 Elections. They will have to be replaced before any election is held.
Granger, Harmon and the PNC must know that the PPP/C is never afraid to hold any election, be it General or Local Government. The astounding defeats in 2016 and 2018 of the Coalition by the PPP/C and the recent defeat at to 2020 General Elections may have caused some irreparable memory loss.
The holding of LGE is no doubt high on the Government’s agenda but GECOM must be sanitized since we have seen the destructive nature of its current form for 5 long and painful months. The dreaded COVID-19 came second place since the entire nation was ‘infected’; clearly, we cannot afford to take such high risks in the future.
Yours truly,
Haseef Yusuf

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