– living, coping with any unliked government
Hello there, I wanted to discuss the PPP’s Madam Teixeira’s comments related to how His Excellency’s state watches and hears all of us, as well as a short piece on bandits and thugs as political protesters. I then realised that those two “issues” are quite directly related to the post-polling day developments as are today’s three captioned offerings.
But I’ll return with my take on the two topics mentioned at the top of the first (opening lead) paragraph above. Gradually but surely, over the past fortnight, so smitten, engrossed, consumed, I’ve become with the now dangerous politics of my land. Perhaps it was/is inescapable, unavoidable, once being a “Party Man” associated with the People’s National Congress (PNC) whilst being both Information Professional and former Elections Campaign Senior Operative – PNC – pre-nineties.
Strangely (?) I still try to assuage any regrets and participation related to those times past, by recalling that my own reasons, justification, had to do with “empowering”, obtaining equality of opportunity for a marginalised portion of our populace. So today should I grapple, in good conscience, with the question: If I lived along with rigging then, why my outrage now in 2020 at the PNC, GECOM-assisted power-grab? Why now?
Slowly, I have realised that one’s values of true integrity, born of fair play, honesty and a sense of electoral democracy, along with a now mid-seventies maturity demand denouncing of elections theft to secure another decade of power. (And even under Burnham and Hoyte thousands upon thousands of Afro – loyalist – supporters fled to lands afar for what was promised, was expected right here.)
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After the vote, a judge decides
The foregoing, flowing from a mind as neutral or objective as possible or allowed to be, is context for the following brief remarks.
Frequently, in life and politics, a “controversy” is caused, is manufactured most times deliberately, willfully to engender advantage or gain for one individual or group. Eventually some arbiter is sought – family elder, priest, teacher or counsellor. For the most technical legal disputes we naturally seek the decisions of judges, magistrates, legal counsel.
And here the whole of Guyana is right now. After hundreds of thousands voted and nine (9) electoral districts’ votes were determined according to agreed-upon procedures, there was deliberate deviation for the final count in the most populous region/District 4.
An aggrieved party sought the intervention of Guyana’s Chief Judge at one level. By now her decision is known. Whatever it is the question remains: why should one legal mind have to pronounce on the valid choice of thousands made on March 02, 2020? Because in a law-based society the electorate’s will must be subject to judicial review? Okay. It’s the best solution available?
Discuss.
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Aubrey’s tally, GECOM’s SOPs
I tire of the dispute now; that “controversy” so strategically orchestrated by a PNC-GECOM grouping fearful of a PPP upset victory. But I feel I should “share” my erstwhile “comrade” Aubrey Norton’s PNC contention. He has introduced the element of the tally sheet (s), used to compile, to produce the statement(s) of poll when the polling place count is completed. Comrade Aubrey insinuates the PPP-friendly GECOM staff aided and abetted and inflated numbers for the PPP at the end of polling.
What? With all party’s agents around all day? Then too there is the claim of opposition contestants “storming/invading” the Region 4 Counting Centre on Thursday 5th to disrupt a spreadsheet count! With foreign observers in attendance! Just thought I’d present Aubrey’s “PNC perspective”. Frankly speaking from all of the SOP-evidence available I feel that the PPP-C has won! And the Carter Center did warn about tabulation.
But in this land where power is so precious strange “results” can emerge. The SOPs are statements generated by GECOM staff. Not party faithfuls. Since last Thursday what has become of GECOM’s original/ official statements with its own security features? Are the actual ballot boxes with the actual votes still safe with GECOM’s “security”? Ho-ho.
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Fake! Image over substance
Perhaps this is too personal to me. So my final lament: tell me not of “a partnership”; a “coalition”. This is His Excellency’s construct to suggest his own broad-based unity governance. Are you fooled? Baby “parties” helpless and opportunistic AFC coalitioners? Oh my poor little intelligence. Stop it Maximum Leader.
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So you don’t “like” the new government?
Let me cut to the chase: In a few days thousands upon thousands of us, the electorate and other citizens who did not or could not vote, will have to live with some new administration, not at all of our choice. What do we/you do?
Just a few preliminary hints: (a) Get over the shock of loss! Your rallies didn’t win votes. Blame your party for false expectations which fooled you; (b) Respect the new leaders even if inwardly you disdain them. Smile but quietly watch how they “govern”. (c) Accept your own friends’ different choices. Relationships real can trump political preferences. (d) Devise personal or group strategies to exist under an unwelcome government, within the law always. (e) Solicit, however quietly, strategic assistance to benefit from government’s policies and programmes, including possible oil revenues; (f) Avoid socializing with leaders you would never appreciate now. Smile your respect for office as you remain civil. (More later….)
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Too too much to ponder?
● 1) Affidavits, depositions, presumption of regularity, substantial compliance, directory, mandatory, case-law precedent! Oh my poor layman’s mind as Counsel and Judge debate the people’s will.
● 2) What!? His Excellency’s state is watching and hearing our every move? Smart City cameras and listening tracers on opposition figures. I’ll return to this after speaking with Madam Comrade Gail.
● 3) Create the “controversy”, then seek “negotiation”, “unity talks”, foreign intervention. Gimme a break!
● 4) Goons, thugs and bandits – as political protesters. With a cause!
● 5) A letter by me published on Monday attracted numerous responses. Just two: “Go to church on Sunday, pose with the pastors, priests, babies and phagwah, then rig on Monday”; “Fenty tell Hinds, Thomas, Trotman, Ogunseye to remember Walter’s rallying cry: `People’s power, no dictator”. (I never thought of that.)
● 6) So was the victory verifiable?
`Til next Friday
