Dear Editor,
As you reported (SN Jan 25), sister Caricom nation Grenada and the Grenadines held elections on Thursday. Note the contrasts with Guyana. The Grenada election results were known Thursday evening self – no anxiety and tensions. Both sides accepted the results as in previous elections post 1979 revolution. The incumbent NNP lost to the NDC (that had no representation in parliament in last two election cycles. The defeated incumbent PM Dr. Keith Mitchell accepted defeat (9-6) and walked away nursing political wounds to become the official opposition and to plan a comeback in five years.
Political parties in Guyana must learn to accept the outcome of free and fair elections and voice of voters. Politics is not just about winning elections and holding power. It is also about serving the people who elected as well as the public at large. The leaders or those in governance must not only use the power for self-interests but to serve the people firstly. The outcomes in Guyana in 2015 and 2020 and in Grenada in 2022 show that the voters are bosses – they showed who are in charge. The voters had the final verdict.
When a party loses an election, the leadership rebuild as Mitchell did in 2010 to 2013 and as Jagdeo did from 2016 to 2020. You don’t go on the warpath encouraging violence and attacking people on account of their race. Victimizing people when you are in government and attacking voters when in opposition don’t bring you support; those acts turn away voters.
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram
