Who are Guyana’s real winners and losers?

By Gerald V. Paul

Donald Ramotar
Donald Ramotar

“When I said in the PNC strongholds there is a miracle happening on voting day some said James, no, it’s the coalition (APNU / AFC). I want to say it again, THE PNC IS ALIVE AND WELL … Forbes Burnham would have been proud … Long live PNC,” posted lawyer James Bond, son of a preacher man, on Facebook.

Burnham, poor chap, could not even get South Africa’s OR Tambo Award (former president Dr. Cheddi Jagan was a recipient).

“Hold strain and wait until GECOM releases the official results but rest assured that we have won,” penned University of Guyana master of biology student Delon Joseph. Brilliant! Will you give this youth a job with such a mentality? GECOM, the Guyana Elections Commission, is responsible for counting the ballots.

David Granger
David Granger

As for Bond, he’s right on – you have been reading it only in my column – the APNU is a shell. The leading opposition party is the PNC.

Eyesers, at the time of sending this column to my Editor at 11:15 a.m. yesterday, the Eyes Guy, like Guyana, was still waiting for the results from GECOM.

By then, the PNC / APNU / AFC opposition under presidential candidate David Granger had come out first and claimed to be “leading”. A deliberate attempt to sow the seeds of potential discord, based on misinformation. When you say you are leading and that the PPP / C cannot bridge the gap, does that mean you are the winner? And does that mean you have replaced the official body GECOM in declaring the results?

That was cause for concern by the PPP / C who was forced to say: “Reports of opposition celebration are nothing new in our political landscape, they have done so in the past elections. Do not let your emotions be swayed by the inaccuracies being peddled by the opposition on social media and elsewhere.”

PPP / C presidential candidate Donald Ramotar, seeking re-election, praised the positive attitude of Guyanese, accusing the opposition of creating tension and violence that voters largely rejected in favour of peace and respect for one another.

“Our figures currently show that we are ahead in this elections but let me reaffirm that an official announcement of the elections results can only be made by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM),” Ramotar said.

And so it goes. Eyesers, when I covered the previous election, the results were released in the wee hours of the morning when the country was asleep. But that did not prevent the PNC’s Haslyn Parris who declared the PPP / C the winners from enduring a beating at the headquarters in Sophia and having to leave the country.

Could it be the PNC / APNU / AFC set the bar so high with their propaganda that when the reality bites, the masses will not accept reality but take to the streets of Georgetown with “mo fiya … slo fiya?” as in Sophia, on Monday night at a pastor’s home and other houses along with numerous vehicles?

According to a media release from the Canadian High Commission in Guyana on Tuesday, Monday’s general and regional election was “smooth, credible, free and fair.”

But was it free from fear? No. There were licks on PPP / C members and “Slo fiya, mo’ fiya.”

The Opposition PNC (lead party) APNU / AFC, told their supporters to vote like a boss. But what Guyana needed was for Guyanese to vote like servant leaders. Building our dear land of Guyana, nah suh?

There is rampant agitation, misinformation, propaganda and positioning primarily in the opposition camp on social media. This was building false hope. When GECOM releases the results, will those who already mentally “won” (PNC / APNU / AFC) accept it?

The Canadian High Commission statement noted, “I hope all political parties continue to remind their supporters of their commitment to respect the democratic process and accept the official GECOM results.”

Continued prayers for our dear land of Guyana.

Gerald V. Paul
Gerald V. Paul