Dear Editor,
All the citizens of Guyana should say in one voice, “Congrats to the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” for an election which brought change and a sense of unity which we sorely need in this country. Here is a Caribbean neighbour which has always been a close friend of Guyana, showing all of us what an election is all about and one which we need to emulate in 2011.
There were early results the same evening of the election, and a clean and honest electoral count, so pay attention, Mr Elections Commissioner; quick post-election healing by the new PM with meaningful efforts to involve a broad cross-section in nation building, so pay attention, Mr Jagdeo; quick resignation showing honour and courage by Mr Manning after his disastrous defeat, so pay attention, Mr Corbin; no violence and disruption on the day of polling, just quiet determination and a conspicuous police presence, so pay attention, Mr Commissioner of Police; broad unity and real appeal for change with a strong candidate as leader, so pay attention, Mr Trotman (AFC). Unity and change defies any electoral system (as long as there are free elections) and as T&T shows, constitutional changes can follow, so pay attention, Mr Philipps (ACDA); unions and civil society as well as religious organizations can help to effect unity and change, as T&T shows, so pay attention, those particular leaders of this country.
Editor, again Mr Vishnu Bisram got it all wrong on the T&T election and tries to sell us a post-election ‘poll’ in a letter to SN, to try and make us forget how wrong he was; is this man for real? Bisram should retire from polling as no one can take him seriously any more.
He should stick to his polls in America, Iran, India and elsewhere, where he’s mostly wrong, like when he predicted that Mrs Clinton would defeat Mr Obama in the primaries in 2008. The results in T&T show that in a country where race has been a major factor, it was relegated to a back seat when the citizens made up their minds that political change should occur and bread and butter issues are more important than race politics. That should be a lesson to us here in Guyana as we approach the next general election with the hope that real changes in our political and economic landscape can occur. Long live the effervescent people of T&T with their peaceful but forceful expression of the will.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)
