Dear Editor,
After appearing to welcome the few CARICOM election scrutineers able to be mustered for a vote recount caused by GECOM Returning Officer Mingo’s failure to perform his duties, APNU+AFC and its apologists have resorted to trying to discredit the CARICOM observer report by claiming the scrutineers only experienced 18% of the recount.
There were other observers accredited by GECOM, but GECOM did not extend them the courtesies afforded the few CARICOM scrutineers. Transparency Institute Guyana Incorporated (TIGI) therefore wrote pointing this out in a letter to the GECOM chairman, which asked that all observers be afforded official copies of the Statements of Recount (SoRs) ex gratia, because, although not expressly mentioned by the gazette order, there was nothing that could be construed as denying them such a courtesy. These other observers worked just as hard, many at great personal cost, but they were reduced to begging party agents to be allowed to photograph SoRs. In other words, it seems GECOM itself set up a system that favoured the one group of observers that were few, so that the 82% (=100%-18%) they could not survey could be used to call their report into question.
The gazette order had also set up another system unnecessary for a recount whereby persons who voted were alleged to be impersonations of voters out of the country on March 2, 2020 or of dead voters. As is well known by now, this has been used only by APNU+AFC to call the recount into question and has inspired CEO Lowenfield to disenfranchise 60% of the voters on mere allegations.
Regrettably, there are still persons gullible enough to believe and be rallied for protests on behalf of APNU+AFC instigators by these misdeeds of GECOM. Such gullible people were ill served by the educational system, which must be reformed so as not to promote the next generation until they demonstrate credible proficiency in reading, writing and arithmetic.
Yours faithfully,
Alfred Bhulai
Local TIGI Elections Observer
