Budget 2023

demonstrates defiance of Coalition in face of facts

Any thoughts of self-reproach or a mea culpa (admission of wrongdoing) from the APNU+AFC Coalition – save from those who have resigned or parted ways with the embattled party – remain out of sight, after over seven months since the results of the March 2, 2020 General Elections were finalised and a PPP/C victory declared.

Instead what persist is an inexplicable defiance in the face of facts. And this was parroted repeatedly during the Budget 2023 debates.

On the March 2020 Elections, the Coalition on March 3, 2020 claimed that it won the Elections. Less than a month later, its dossier, which was sent to the international community, on page 11 said: “The various comments from the observer missions convey that the voting process in the elections was well managed, peaceful, proceeded largely without incident and was free, fair and transparent. It is therefore, reasonable to conclude then that the voting process was not fraudulent.” In the face of acknowledging the elections as free and fair, the Coalition would later flip-flop to claim that there were irregularities in the voting process, when the counting of the votes placed the PPP/C in the lead – a contradictory narrative. How can you claim victory at a free and fair election and then claim you lost because of irregularities at the same time?

Within days the counting of ballots and verification of the results was completed in nine of Guyana’s 10 Regions. The remaining area was Region 4, considered a critical battleground area in any election. By March 4, 2020, the machinations of the Coalition, aided by elements with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), including embattled Region 4 Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, to manipulate Region 4 results were exposed in full view of Guyanese and the world. Mingo, twice, put forward fraudulent results – on March 5 and March 13 – for Region 4. This was resisted and after court challenges and much struggle, a recount was proceeded with. In the face of public exposure of the election mischief – including by PNCR Chairperson, Volda Lawrence, and PNCR member Carol Joseph, whose signatures were on both fraudulent declarations made by Mingo – the Coalition would resist a national recount still claiming an election win – a contradictory narrative. How can you claim an election win, but resist a national recount to prove the so-called ‘win’?

The Coalition’s then Attorney General, Basil Williams, on May 16, 2020, claimed that the recount does not alter previous 10 declarations made, including the fraudulent declaration made by Mingo on results for Region 4. He had said: “The law remains the law, so, at the end of the day, the law will determine what happens. As I said, the electoral laws state that 10 legitimate declarations have been made, they have been laid over to the CEO [Chief Election Officer]. The national recount falls under a constitutional provision and the purpose that it is serving is to examine what happened on that day.” Even as the national recount proceeded, the Coalition tried to hold on to the 10 declarations that were made, including the fraudulent one for Region 4. They also tried to make claims about dead voters, etc. – claims that were exposed as false by the local media corps. The Coalition also moved to the court to block the use of the recount results as the final election results. Under pressure, the Coalition had to accept the Statements of Recount, which showed that the PPP/C secured more votes at the elections. In the face of the Coalition’s refusal to accept the legality of the elected PPP/C government, there is no move to release the so-called ‘evidence’ to support its victory – its copies of the GECOM-issued Statements of Poll (SOPs) – a contradictory narrative. How can you claim election victory and say you have evidence and still, after a year, the so-called ‘evidence’ remains secret?

Of note is that the PPP/C wasted no time in releasing its GECOM-issued SOPs, within hours of the debacle that was Mingo’s actions. And the recount, the Statements of Recount, closely matches these Statements of Poll. The Coalition has since filed two elections petitions. While one has been thrown out, it is currently the subject of appeal. The second is proceeding in court.

The reality of the day is clear for all Guyanese, as well as the international community. However, the Coalition seems content to hunker down in its alternate reality, while peddling contradictory narratives.

The danger here is that the Coalition’s actions are not self-regarding, the affect all Guyanese.

Instead, those who have engaged in profligacy and corruption, and were the most ardent advocates for democratic subversion are now busy trying to reinvent their public images, presenting a façade of piousness. To them we say the memories of Guyanese are not short and there will be no success in manipulating this façade into truth.