Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 13, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
We have some supermen and superwomen in this country. They actually believe that they can defy international opinion and resist established democratic norms.
They are woefully mistaken and misguided. Not even their friends in the Caribbean Community can save them. In fact, even these friends are clear that the results of the elections must be arrived at through a transparent process.
The international community is watching. It has made it crystal clear that cheating will not be tolerated. They have reiterated that the process of tabulating the results for District Four must be transparent.
The Representation of the People Act provides for such transparency. Section 84(1) of the Act requires that tabulations be based on the Statements of Poll. The Returning Officer can use whatever sheet he or she wants – but the basis of the numbers on that sheet has to be the numbers on the Statements of Poll.
The Section provides:..the retuning officer shall in the presence of such persons entitled under Section 86(1) to be present as attend, ascertain the total votes cast in favour of each list in the district by adding the votes recorded in favour of the list in accordance with the Statements of Polls.
The law is unambiguous that the results have to be in accordance with the Statements of Polls.
The Chief Justice, in her oral decision, is reported to have called for a transparent process for declaring the results. In her written Orders, she made reference on more than one occasion for the need for compliance with both the letter and spirit of the Representation of the People Act.
What is so hard about that to understand?
The international community is being very restrained. It is fully aware of who won the elections and therefore who is entitled to lead the nation for the next five years.
Those who feel that they can hijack the elections and get away with are living in the past. They may have been able to do that in the past but not today. The world has become less tolerant of autocrats. The international community will not stand idly by and allow the elections to be stolen.
What happened in 1968, 1973, 1980 (referendum) and 1985 is not going to be repeated without dire consequences. No government emerging from rigged elections is going to be recognised by the international community. That government is going to be isolated and that will inflict grave hardships on the people.
The government is operating on the basis that once GECOM says it wins, then that is final. It will not be final unless the process is transparent.
Yesterday, the Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Michael G. Kozak, made it quite clear that the elections tabulations must be concluded in a transparent manner.
He warned that under U.S. law those who participate and benefit from electoral fraud, undermine democratic institutions and impede a peaceful transition of power can be subject to a variety of consequences. De facto regimes, he said, do not receive the same treatment from us as democratically elected governments.
What we are witnessing in Guyana right now is a brazen attempt to steal the elections. That sort of criminal conduct has no place in the modern era as some illegitimate regimes have found out not to their liking. Those who aid and abet in stealing elections are not going to escape international sanctions.
But more importantly is the example which is being set for this country. Instead of putting Guyana’s sordid electoral past behind, there seems to be concerted efforts to resurrect the practice of electoral fraud and foist and illegitimate government on the people.
In the meantime, the same old suspects have renewed their call for power sharing. It is interesting that despite the closeness of the results of the 2015 elections, this call was not made but it is being made now.
But how can there be power sharing in the context of the refusal to respect the democratic will of the people?
Before power sharing can be contemplated, there must be a legitimate government in place. And the only way for this to happen is for the elections results to be decided by a transparent process which meets international standards and is not determined by the arbitrary actions of any one individual.
Guyana is being shamed in front of the international community. And all because the losers of the elections – and they know who they are – feel that they can get away with cheating.
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