I would rather live like a hermit than associate with hypocrites

Jul 04, 2021 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – Shame knows no boundaries when it comes to the APNU+AFC. That grouping which, having sought to benefit from rigged elections, which claims that its statements of polls showed that it won the elections, which has failed to produce those statements of poll, and some of whose leaders were subject to travel sanctions by the United States, still has the temerity and the gall to protest against governance in Guyana.
Every time the PNCR loses elections – and it has lost quite a few since 1992 – persons to whom society once looked up are exposed for what they truly are. The elections of March 2, 2021 were no different.
Those elections exposed a great many persons and showed their true character and what they stand for. It exposed those who tried to encourage and condone the cheating which took place. It also exposed those who are no vociferous on certain causes but opted to remain silent when the country has hijacked for five long months during what can only be deemed an attempt at an electoral coup.
Some of those who had formerly railed against corruption and wrongdoing, during the PPP/C administrations, were quite prepared to turn a blind eye to the blatant attempt to steal the elections. And now some of them have the temerity to play victim. They refused to even object or to be critical of what amounted to the most transparent attempt ever to steal an election.
Yet, some of them would drill into their children’s heads the importance of being honest. They would urge them to play fairly. Yet, there was nothing fair about the elections and they condoned it by their silence.
Some of those who pretended to be champions of local democracy showed that they were prepared to dump democracy – in fact dump all the ballot boxes – so long as the outcome was not in their favour. They could not stand up and take their defeat like a true man or woman and the truth hurts.
Many persons in the United States were outraged during the attempt by supporters of Donald Trump to seize control of the Capitol. Many of them voiced in no uncertain manner their rejection of the actions of the mob which stormed Washington. Yet, many of these same persons refuse to come out openly and disassociate themselves with electoral rigging in Guyana or with those who tried to benefit from these actions.
The attempt to pervert the course of the elections was the gravest action of corruption – an attempt to steal political office and power – and yet very few of those voices which have been vocal in condemning wrongdoing by the PPP, remained silent. The public saw the true side of those who were prepared to condone electoral rigging.
Those persons have long lost credibility in my eyes. I want nothing to do with them. I don’t want to see them or hear anything from them. As far as I am concerned they have exposed themselves for what they truly are and this is quite the opposite from the image which they were cultivated as taking principled positions on issues.
Imagine, the whole word saw what was taking place and yet those right here, in front of whose eyes the attempted rigging took place, saw nothing and said nothing. What hypocrisy and shamefulness.
Guyana was returning to the dark days of democracy and it seemed not to have bothered some persons both here and also in the diaspora. And now they want people to take them seriously when they speak about governance.
Why should anyone take them seriously? They are discredited and ought to be ashamed of speaking about an illegitimate government, when they failed to condemn or oppose the attempt to foist a political dictatorship on Guyana.
Many of the silent lambs in the diaspora ran from the harsh effects of political dictatorship. They ran from the food shortages. They ran from the police and Para-military state which was then in existence. They ran from the lack of opportunities. They ran from the poor pay and the struggle to survive. And yet they stood there and said nothing when there was this attempt to return Guyana to that state of affairs.
Those who condone electoral rigging can never enjoy my support. I do not trust them. I do not want to see them and definitely no matter how lettered they are they can never enjoy my respect. When they see me on the road, do not stop me for any conversation.
I want nothing to do with cheats and those who condone cheating. I would rather live like a hermit than associate with riggers and their defenders.
(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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