Dear Editor,
The nature of the PNC/APNU+AFC is unfolding before our very eyes. They are dismantling all the democratic gains made since 1992 and have created an illegal government in our country.
It is succeeding because many persons in the Public Service, including in Consti-tutional institutions, are either in cahoots with the clique and therefore part of the elite or are afraid to stand up for the rights of our people. The clique that wields power is most likely using a combination of threats and bribes to obtain results that it wants from our “independent” offices.
That is the only explanation that makes any sense as we examine events unfolding.
Let’s take for instance the decision of GECOM to merge the data from the House to House Registration with the present clean voters list, that gave us elections in 2015 and later Local Government elections. What is the purpose of this and where is it taking us?
It is clear that by undertaking such an exercise that the whole present verified list would be contaminated and therefore made unsuitable for elections. It could be so deliberately damaged that elections could be postponed for years.
This is precisely what the PNC did in 1990 when elections were supposed to have been held. They messed up the list so badly that it was rendered useless. To correct that a new house to house registration had to be done. That gave the PNC two extra years in power! This is what it appears they want to repeat.
The house to house registration of 2019 was an illegal act. I say this boldly because even though I am not a lawyer I was a member of the National Assembly in 2007 when, in order to do house to house registration the National Registration Act had to be amended. That was done by amendment 31 of 2007. That amendment stated that data compiled was the basis for Continuous Registration.
The National Assembly did no further amendments to that Act since then. Therefore, the latest house to house Registration was illegal.
Moreover, the law states that any such exercise must be supervised by the Elections Commission. The staff that is recruited to accomplish that task must be hired by the Commission, not by the Chief Election Officer.
Since the Commission was not functioning then that exercise was not done by the Commission, not in accordance with the law thus on those two further counts it was illegal.
According to the law any person who is registered twice is breaking the law. It is a criminal act with penalty of imprisonment. The illegal staff was conducting an illegal activity when they ventured to register persons another time.
The only proper thing to do with the data compiled by GECOM “staff” is to discard it. It must not be allowed to contaminate a list that has been verified and is a good basis for holding elections after a Claims and Objections period.
Trying to merge it is to pursue the plans of the PNC/APNU which is unfolding in the glare of the public. The PNC/APNU+AFC clique is doing its darnest to frustrate the will of the Guyanese people.
I have stated before that the sole purpose of establishing a Ministry of Citizen-ship was to rig elections, to perpetuate themselves in power.
The PNC’s APNU+AFC operation was disrupted by the No Confidence Motion.
The main aspect of that operation was to use immigration to give themselves some more seats.
People must stand up against the regime. They must make their voices heard!
Moreover, they must demand that some persons in Constitutional offices stop kowtowing to the PNC, straighten their backs and prevent another tragedy from visiting our country.
Yours faithfully,
Donald Ramotar
Former President
