Dear Editor,
V. S. Naipaul once famously noted, “Where you born, man, you born.” And so curiosity has taken me back to my country of birth as my predominantly Guyanese clientele (of all races) are expressing their frustration at how Guyana’s electoral process has become such a farce.
After reviewing what transpired, I am convinced that this entire catastrophic debacle —which has put the nation on edge—rests on the shoulders of one person: the Chair of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh.
Guyana breathed a sigh of relief when she was selected. After all, people reasoned, as a former justice she would contribute objectivity and judicial prudence—the stuff one learns in law school and practices on the bench. But from the moment she took her chair, she became invisible and inaudible. She simply shrunk until I even began to question her very existence.
Had she done her job and sounded an alarm when she saw others trying to circumvent the well-crafted, simple rules and regulations, Guyana would have been spared this on-going national nightmare and international embarrassment. The language of the provisions of the applicable sections is too straightforward for anyone, let alone someone with legal training, to have missed.
The system at hand worked before. Everyone recalls the last smooth transition. It could have worked again. However, as the law was tossed aside and fictitious numbers surfaced, it seemed that the Chair forgot her responsibility as an officer of the court! Missing was the strong, reassuring voice of a former Justice who failed the nation. Instead she self-isolated, citing as her cover the ongoing litigation of the very matter she was hired to oversee. The silence of this one individual affected everyone.
Strangely and embarrassingly, a court had to point out to this former Justice that certain provisions of the law were not followed. And now we are to believe, as some are suggesting, that GECOM is endowed with supernatural powers and can do whatever it wants without judicial review? Declare whatever number it wants? Frustrate the process of fairness? Discount, instead of count, votes?
Some, perhaps on all sides, do not ever want democracy as long as their party is in office. If Guyanese are not careful, this could be their last real election. Who would want to go through this again if one man can read fictitious numbers and simply declare a winner? It would be a waste of time and resources.
It is not for me to judge which of the presidential candidates is more deserving to win. I do not live in Guyana and I do not know. However, I believe that reasonable people who want a democratic society hope that every single vote would be counted. Both Mr. Granger, the opposition, and voters had confidence in Ms. Singh. It seems too late to ask that she re-reads her oath and re-commit to firmness and fairness. Alas! She has let them all down and tarnished the good name of Guyana.
Certain images will remain with us for a long time—images of chaos at GECOM as fictitious numbers rolled out; of Shuman in his native outfit with a sceptre ascending the stairs of the court; Robeson Benn lying flat on the ground displaying the court order and guarding the ballot boxes; calypsos and chutney songs blasting in the wee hours of the morning as determined patriots keep “watch” on the ever-moving ballot boxes; and the exits of international groups, one by one, leaving unflattering assessments of GECOM and recognizing that Mingo’s count was not credible.
Perhaps one day Guyanese will look back and find some humour in those serious moments—and hopefully the country will eventually heal. For now, though, please Justice Singh, just apologise and resign.
Yours faithfully,
Dolly Hassan, Ph.D.
Attorney at Law
