On Monday of this week, Guyana voted in general and regional elections that were the culmination of a series of unfortunate events: secret deals made by the government, deadlock on issues in Parliament, a proposed motion of no-confidence and the proroguing of Parliament being chief among them. At the time of the writing of this column, the official results of those elections had not yet been made public. The Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) was still ponderously tallying statements of poll.
The elections were declared free and fair and free from fear by both foreign and local observers. There was praise for how smoothly the voting process was despite a few glitches that are probably a norm in elections anywhere. However, there were a few instances that called into question the trust Guyanese have in the electoral process and in those administering it. This has direct bearing on our democracy. There was also an event that can only be described as senseless and which ought to be roundly condemned by all.
On Election Day, there was a marked eagerness to vote in every region of this country. It would be safe to say without fear of contradiction that the majority of the voting took place in the morning hours. People were lined up outside polling stations from as early as half an hour before polls opened and there was no preponderance of late voting – polling places closed on time.
In Georgetown, in particular, during the course of the day, there were rumours of attempts to steal ballot boxes and two persons were even arrested by the police. However, since most if not all city poll stations had, in addition to all of the Gecom staff, agents of the two main political parties and observers at different periods of the day, any theft of ballots would have called for the kind of collusion that just is not possible in this climate. The arrested duo had not been charged up to the time of the writing of this column and it would be interesting to see if they are actually charged and with what.
After the close of polls and while the counting of ballots was being conducted inside the polling stations, hundreds or perhaps thousands of Guyanese congregated outside. This was particularly visible in Georgetown, but from reports received, it happened in many places around the country. When asked, to a citizen they said they were guarding their votes/ballots. Even after the count was completed and the Statements of Poll (SOPs) posted outside the place of poll, people remained, claiming they were guarding ballot boxes.
The widely publicized sequence of events in the electoral process made it clear that once the ballots were counted and the SOPs posted, ballot boxes were useful only for historic reference. Or, given information just coming to light, in case there was a call for a recount. But even so, every place of poll had only a specified number of electors; every region has only so many people who were eligible to vote and Gecom has those numbers. Therefore, there cannot be more ballots than there are voters. That people opted to remain out of their homes into the night even in the light of this information revealed a lack of trust in the administration of the voting process and a level of ignorance that needs to be corrected urgently.
On Monday night, in response to a rumour, thousands of citizens congregated outside the home of a Sophia resident that had been turned into a PPP/C Command Centre. Angry and raucous, they claimed that they had seen ballot boxes arriving at the centre. Despite two independent searches of the building which turned up nothing of the sort, the anger and claims persisted until they spilled over into the setting on fire of several vehicles that were parked outside the building as well as two structures opposite. It was hours before members of the Joint Services were able to gain control of the situation, by which time millions of dollars in losses had been racked up. Four persons were subsequently arrested.
That incident, which saw several persons traumatized, including members of the media, should never have occurred. It was not only senseless, but displayed a level of stupidity that should cause all concerned to hang their heads in shame. Those aiding and abetting the guilty by egging them on vocally or providing support in any form or fashion should also be arrested and charged as there should be zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour. Our security services, which would have seen a relatively peaceful day prior to that despicable display lapsed immensely in not disbanding the crowd earlier. They had no legal reason for congregating there and given the high tensions displayed, should have been calmly dispersed. Whatever suspicions those persons had, which were obviously based on rumour, should have been reported to the relevant authorities or to their party’s command centre to be dealt with via the clearly set out legal process.
Democracy neither begins nor ends with marking an X on a ballot. It is an ongoing process that should not only be spoken about but demonstrated by all, but more so by our leaders to whom people look for guidance. As we await the official declaration of results, which are likely to be further delayed by the PPP/C’s call for a recount in three regions, democracy in action should be our watchword. At the end of the day, a declaration will have to be made and we will all have to live with whatever the result is. Let us strive to do so in peace and harmony.