By Taurus – The Heckler
- BLACKOUTS AND ELECTION RESULTS
Oh my dear! Taurus is old enough to know a Georgetown without blackouts. Then came blackouts, load-shedding, power outages which now are decades and a generation long. No Government since 1964 can banish this nightmare of modern Guyana.
When it was first-past-the-past as the system for winning seats, elections results were all so timely. Then came 1964 and proportional representation. Election results in Guyana are another nightmare ever since.
This piece was prepared long before any credible, official final results. Taurus is backing Dr. Surujbally about a phased introduction of voting machines, but he, Taurus, will vote for any Party which vows to banish blackouts and dead-slow election results in the future.
- THREE PRESIDENTS …
James Earl (Jimmy) Carter was once dubbed “the best former President America has produced.” The Iranians had humbled him with the hostages but Jimmy, whose family gave us Planters peanuts, goes around the poor world at election time to influence regime change and/or to get houses built for the poor.
Something two Guyanese Presidents – one past, one present – told him made him come down with a virus (Dis country could chase anybody away, quick-time!)
- STAINED FINGERS AT TIMEHRI
Believe it or not, Taurus had to journey to Cheddi Jagan’s Airport at Timehri to see a relative off on Polling Day itself.
Imagine my amused surprise to see scores of Guyanese – and other (?) – passengers with their right index fingers stained purple or burgundy. This seemed to be evidence of their having voted. But with backpacks on their person they were travelling outwards to another “constituency”
Taurus was intent on researching this Polling Day phenomenon…but got caught up waiting for “results.”
- LUCK?
It was pleasing to see one newspaper’s bold front-page headline on Elections day. GOOD LUCK to the four leading candidates from the two major contesting groups.
Taurus suspected that the other six (6) contestants felt ignored, even hurt. But then Taurus reflected on their underdog behalf. IT IS/WAS not LUCK but votes that were necessary on Polling Day. Some got the luck, some got votes.
- UNTIL…
Oh my dear! It is to be hoped that now you’re reading this YOU and WE all know who will form the next government.
So I leave you for now with two Polling Day related happenings. In one village many households went together to vote. So those early-morning lines were long. When voters returned home non-voters had elected to break, enter and rob their placed of precious valuables.
And Taurus smiled at the sentiment of the young first-time voter who blogged that there should have been an I-VOTED PARTY.com on Monday night. Admission would have been ONE STAINED FINGER.
Taurus hopes you get the government you deserve.
