Transparency advocate documents 2020 elections aftermath in new book

Jul 22, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Former Auditor General turned Transparency advocate, Dr. Swatantra Anand Goolsaran, has published a book comprising the contents of columns, which he authored that were published in the local media in relation to the contentious 2020 General and Regional Elections held locally and its aftermath.

Former Auditor General turned Transparency advocate, Dr. Swatantra Anand Goolsaran (right), hands over a copy of his latest publication to Kaieteur News’ Publisher, Mr. Glenn Lall.

Titled ‘Triumph of Democracy and the Rule of Law: Guyana 2020 Election and their aftermath’, the book recounts his Accountability Watch articles between the period December 21, 2018, when a No-Confidence Motion was successfully passed against the then David Granger led government and August 2, last, when Dr. Irfaan Ali was sworn in as President of the country.
Introducing his latest publication, the author cites as motivation his strict belief in the adherence to the rule of law and to subscription to the highest form of public accountability.
He asserts that, “for countries that embrace democratic forms of government, it is fair to state that a strong positive correlation exists between democracy and accountability.”
According to Dr. Goolsarran, “democracy and accountability can be viewed as the twin sides of the same coin. In the most rigorous analysis of the relationship between the two, more often than not, it will be found that democracy leads to accountability which in turn leads to development.”
He noted, however, that on the other hand, “a lack of democracy leads to a lack of accountability which in turn stagnates development…Accountability is indispensable to any form of democratic governance.”
According to Dr. Goolsarran, by tracking the developments during the 20-month period, he was able to provide a weekly account of what transpired, as both sides of the political divide battled tooth and nail in an attempt to accede to political office.
With his new publication, Dr. Goolsarran contends that those with an interest in what transpired during that period would be able to access the information from one source—the new book.
Consisting 41 chapters, the book firstly chronicles the events from the date of the no confidence vote to just prior to the March 2 elections to the swearing in of the new president.
Additionally, the book “carefully and comprehensively analyses all the court cases relating to the elections, identifying the legal issues involved; and highlighting the arguments from the lawyers on both sides, the judges’ comments and the rulings of the court.”
Dr. Goolsarran in his latest publication has also made generous use of comments from prominent personalities, both locally and internationally, as events relating to the elections unfolded.

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