Dear Editor,
40,000 Guyanese could not have spelled it out more clearly. They don’t want to vote. They are not interested. This recent posturing and grandstanding over reopening the Claims and Objections period to get more registration amounts to forcing those who have unequivocally said they don’t care to register. The last time I checked it is the inherent democratic right of voters to say ‘I don’t care and I don’t want to vote.’ Gecom must respect that right. Particularly after 31% said they didn’t care to vote in the 2006 election. People’s right not to vote must be respected.
Extending the Claims and Objections period benefits the PPP. I can bet my last dollar that the PPP Commissioners are the ones in favour of reopening registration while the opposition representatives are against the proposal. If the Gecom Chairman votes to allow the extension of the registration period, his vote will benefit the PPP. For what the PPP is doing is pursuing a form of political campaign bribery. The PPP gets an unfair advantage if registration is reopened, because as the party in power it controls the nation’s purse strings. The PPP wants that extra percentage which might be persuaded by the spending as it needs all the help trying to sell Donald Ramotar to the masses.
So the PPP has gone on a spending spree. People struggling to make ends meet in this country don’t spend money like this, but this government does not care. These are taxes paid by not only PPP supporters but by all taxpayers including PNC, AFC, ROAR, GAP, TUF and JFAP supporters. These are taxes paid by those who will not support any political party in 2011; taxes paid by the 31% of voters who stayed home in 2006 rather than waste good ink. Spending money in the hinterland worked in 2006 with the Amerindians. So the PPP plans on trying it again. To maximise the benefit of this tactic the PPP needed to get Donald Ramotar front and centre in the PPP government’s wanton expenditure of taxpayers’ money for political gain. So they made him a presidential advisor.
Registration should not be reopened when it is evident that it profits one party unfairly. Further, reopening registration with an election due in October will delay the polls. Gecom should not reopen registration when it is evident that voters have refused to register. Reopening registration increases the potential for fraud and mistakes with 3 months to go to election and when Gecom cannot even get its current list in order.
Yours faithfully,
M Maxwell
