Dear Editor,
I should like to congratulate Brigadier David Granger on being nominated by a PNCR ‘group’ as that Party’s presidential candidate.
In one of his interviews, dealing with the issue of an apology by the PNCR for its rigging of elections between 1968 and 1985, he mentioned that the elections for 1997, when the PPP/C was in office, was declared to be unlawful by the Court. He questioned whose responsibility it was to apologise for those elections. I should like, in defence of the PPP, to remind Brigadier Granger of the facts and circumstances surrounding that case.
For the 1997 elections there was a committee of parliamentary parties which met regularly to discuss elections issues. Its objective was to resolve differences.
That committee unanimously recommended that the electoral laws be amended to provide for picture voter identification. The law was passed in the National Assembly with PNCR support and voter ID cards were produced and distributed. Voters were identified by the use of the cards.
After the elections the PNCR, through one of its members or supporters, Esther Perreira, filed an election petition challenging, among other things, the constitutionality of the same law which it had not too long ago supported. I appeared and fully participated in that case.
The Court held that the voter identification law was unconstitutional and for that reason only, vitiated the results of the elections.
Having regard to these circumstances Brigadier Granger may wish to consider whether it was his Party which spoke from both sides of its mouth and which needs to explain its conduct.
Yours faithfully,
Ralph Ramkarran
