In oil rich Guyana, where Exxon’s subsidiary this week announced that it recorded $577.7 billion in profits in 2022 and where talks of progress and development are rife, there was low voter turnout at the Local Government Elections on Monday. One would imagine that the progress and development many are speaking of is not an illusion or delusion. That somehow this fairy-tale Guyanese life that many have been painting on their canvases of self-preservation and deception, is not just for those with old and new money – like the big boys and big girls in suits and brand names with their Guyanese super salaries and profitable businesses – but that it has somehow become real for all Guyanese. One would also imagine that a satisfied nation would be happy to cast their votes for the people and political parties. But on Monday most of the people did not care to vote for the old or young in politics. The narratives about most of the people being hopeful and excited to vote were debunked.
Whether their choices to not mark their Xs or ink their fingers was because they are tired of the bed of thorns, we have made for ourselves that stab at the hearts and souls of the people, or whether the people do not recognize the importance of voting in a Local Government Elections because before 2016 for two decades there was none, it was the people’s choice. Whether it is that despite all the talks of progress and development, the people realize that whether they cast their votes or not, their communities remain underdeveloped with limited opportunities and resources for the young and old; the maintenance of infrastructure services is lacking, and solid waste management has failed, the people’s voices were loud with their refusal to vote. Whether it is that the rumbling sounds in hungry bellies were louder than the loudspeakers urging them to go and vote, the people’s silence spoke.
Could it be that many have lost trust or do not care to trust those who seek to represent them? Or maybe low voter turnout is simply our culture for Local Government Elections in Guyana even though one would imagine the dreams we have painted of a ‘One Guyana’ would have changed that.
This year we saw the colourful flags everywhere. We watched the drama as some crossed from one political party to another. Some might have assumed they found greener pastures. Some perhaps were preserving self. Some might have assumed that by leaving one political party for another, their chances of being able to effect change were greater. Whatever their reasons, every Guyanese has the right to support whichever political party they choose without fear or persecution.
We heard talk about voters being influenced to deviate from their traditional voting patterns. We heard allegations about people being bribed to vote with money, food, and drinks. We saw that the school cash grant of $40000 was distributed at a questionable time just before votes were cast. But despite all the hullabaloo only a fraction of voters cast their vote and most of those who did vote demonstrated that the traditional voting patterns have not changed much.
It was another election that exposed a nation in distress. Low voter turnout did not restrain some on this bed of thorns from showing how indecently we expose ourselves. Unashamedly there were pronouncements about who we think are the best leaders to run the affairs of this country while vilifying others. The people once again resorted to plucking thorns from the bed and stabbing each other. Whether they called each other racial slurs, denigrated entire groups of people, boasted about winning when the nation continues to lose, nothing much has changed about our election culture.
The secret ballot for some was not even secret as their marked ballot paper and identification was plastered across social media. Before the votes were cast the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) released a statement that mobile phones and cameras were not permitted in the polling station or voting compartment only to backpedal the next day. Many question the independence of GECOM who have proven once again that whether it is a few hundred votes to count or thousands, the results of Guyana’s elections can never be released expeditiously.
The track record of some of the dinosaurs in politics tells us who they are. But constantly the people are expected to believe that those who wronged this nation are somehow reformed, deserve our votes and will finally do right by the people. When I think about politicians, especially those who have sat in positions of power for decades and have shown themselves to be untrustworthy and have been accused of corruption, I think “Can a leopard change its spots?”
One can deduce that many of the supporters of the main political parties are in a trance. A trance that keeps them loyal even when it is to their detriment. But one can also deduce from the low voter turnout that many are waking from the trance. Perhaps the people are beginning to show that they are not as deceived or ignorant as it might be believed. Perhaps the people are beginning to realize that there are leaders who love when the people are not smart enough to understand oppression or have the will to fight it.
I hope those who have been elected to serve their communities serve well. I hope that our communities will not be supported based on who the majority voted for. But, can the tiger change its stripes?
