Dear Editor,
Three events in the past years have captured and captivated my imagination as far as Guyana is concerned. The first is the discovery of oil and gas. I said to myself that I may live long enough to see the economic transformation of Guyana, a rare national experience especially to someone who was born and raised in the unenvied part of the plantation yard. With every passing day that hope becomes a distant reality. The second is COVID-19 which does not need much elaboration other than to say that my plans in Guyana have been shelved. The third is the electoral rigging of Guyana’s national election from March 2, 2020 onwards. Of the three events, the latter one has placed an indelible imprint on my mind. It is disgraceful, despicable and disgusting. It is uglier than sin. It belongs to the lowest ebb of humanity. It is irreparable. You cannot say the word rigging without expanding your mouth, without showing your teeth. It reveals hate and anger. It divides.
Yet, there isn’t a shortage of people supporting electoral fraud twisting the narrative to a desirous direction. Not much can one do to detox the mindset of these individuals. They are convinced that they have accomplished, achieved and gifted something special to their ghoulish masters. Are we surprised, maybe? Are we bamboozled, no? Anyone following the unfolding events since March 2 would have a difficult time ignoring the shameful act of electoral indecency and dishonesty at the Region 4 processing centre. We have not entered but returned to serial intergenerational electoral rigging. Forbes Burnham’s PNC rigged Guyana’s general elections consecutively for over twenty years denying the then young Cheddi Jagan the opportunity to govern. Now, Burnham’s admirer, David Granger, is denying Jagan’s political grandson, Irfaan Ali the same opportunity. Sad isn’t it when votes of choice are taken away and given to someone else. This is a violation of human rights at the highest level which has no place in human society. The right to vote freely and the right of votes to be counted fairly are coveted possessions and when that is taken away and given to someone else, it surely feels like a dagger to the heart. No civilized nation, no civilized society, no civilized human being would allow and agree with the blatant rigging of one’s voting rights. You may want to criticize the West, the Whiteman for all the problems of the world but it is difficult to deny the fact that they firmly believe in the right that every vote must count. The denial of this fundamental right that every vote must count means the delusional existence of a democratic state.
Yours faithfully,
Lomarsh Roopnarine
