Don’t forget the role the private sector played

Aug 19, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor

I commend Vishnu Bisram for having reminded us of what he described as “the drama behind the 2020 elections result “in a letter to Stabroek News last Thursday (15^th August).

`In his letter, he  makes the point that “there were several untold events and unsung heroes behind those happenings” and he proceeds to name some of them, including the several court cases and the intervention in one way or another of the Diplomatic Community, US, UK, EU and Canada, in particular and most especially former US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann Lynch, in the part they played in preventing former President David Granger from being sworn into Office, on the basis of fraudulent elections results.

We should also never forget and specifically remember and recognise the huge role that the Private Sector Commission played in ultimately ensuring against the David Granger government being returned to Government on a rigged election result. Prior to the Elections, the Private Sector Commission, under the Chairmanship of Captain Gerry Gouveia had established within its offices, a Command Centre, managed by retired Brigadier General Norman McLean, a former PSC Chairman, with the specific purpose of observing and monitoring the 2020 Elections.

The Private Sector Commission had also met the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission and had been accredited full Observer Status for the forthcoming General and Regional Elections. On election day and the days that followed, the Commission had accredited Observers strategically placed around the country and in Polling Places where the count was being compiled. I was one of those accredited observers.  We know that in every district except district 4, at the end of election day, the count had been tabulated and posted and Statements of Poll were in the possession of all of the contesting political parties.

I was the accredited observer for the PSC in place at the District 4 GECOM Building at Ashmins where the first attempt was made to present a tabulation of numbers which did not accord with the Statements of Poll from the District 4 Polling Places which had already been published and in the possession of the contesting political parties and the various election Observer Missions from the Diplomatic Community.

I personally witnessed the obviously blatant attempt to cheat the results.

I returned immediately to the Private Sector Commission, reported what I had witnessed to Captain Gouveia and we decided to immediately call a Press Conference on the matter. I reported what I had seen.

It was, therefore, the Private Sector Commission at that press conference which first disclosed to the public that an attempt to falsify the election results. At the time, I was astonished at what I had witnessed and at the Press Conference. I said “I have to say this, that in all my life and career, in and out of politics in this country, I have never seen such a barefaced, ugly and deliberate attempt to rig an election.” The next day on the 14^th March 2020, the Kaieteur News reported what I had said at the Press Conference as “a deliberate attempt to rig an election”.

I was convinced then, and events have proved me to be accurate, that the APNU/AFC Coalition had already in their possession the Statements of Poll of all ten election Districts and already knew the results of the election, knew that they had lost to the PPP/C and were now attempting to reverse the results. It is now history that after a long and painful series of Court cases, high level foreign diplomatic intervention including Caricom, and the continuing persistence of the Private Sector Commission’s, Observer Mission, a decision was made to recount the election results establishing that the People’s Progressive Party Civic had won the election and that Irfaan Ali was sworn in as President on the 2^nd of August 2020.

I had, during this period, decided to write a series of letters and make a number of broadcast commentaries exposing the degree of the conspiracy which was taking place within GECOM by its officials. Ultimately, we all know, it required the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh, to make the casting vote for the majority in favour of the elections recount being accepted by GECOM with all of the APNU/AFC appointed GECOM members voting against.

To his credit, President David Granger at the time had said, “whatever declaration is made by the Chairman of the Elections Commission would be regarded as legitimate by the Coalition Government.”

But, earlier officials of the coalition had publicly pronounced that the Recount is illegal. Again, when asked about this, David Granger emphatically declared: “As President of Guyana and Leader of the Government, it is my policy that any declaration coming from the Chairman of GECOM will be accepted by the Government of Guyana”. So said so done.

Sincerely
Kit Nascimento

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