Moving ahead with LGE 2023, GECOM must beware...

that robust local government architecture and systems support more sustainable communities. Consequently, once the LGEs are held, we can consider accelerated community benefits from the implementation of several impacting developmental community projects”.

Importantly, following notification of readiness from GECOM, the Hon. Minister of Local Government has set the twelfth of June 2023 as the date of the LGEs. And all NDCs are busy preparing their candidates to contest the

Elections. The Municipalities are also very much in elections mode. Consequently, GECOM must not allow the Opposition commissioners to propose any further delay.

The Work Plan is in place, and all preparation for the holding of LGEs on June

12th must be done. GECOM must beware of all the rogue elements that are still in their employment. Election Day staff must be fully prepared, be honest, and hold free and fair elections.

Further, our Government has updated elections

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Legislation, including the Representation of the Peoples Act (ROPA), with the intent of deterring lawlessness by elections officials in the conduct of their work.

The LGEs will also avail the opportunity to test the real impact of the legislative updates, given the need for confidence in the system by all stakeholders. Let us have LGEs as scheduled, without any further delays.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar the people of this country, who voted on Election Day in a peaceful election, and gave their mandate to the PPP/C….despite the results you did everything to make sure you remained in power, regardless of the will of the people,” Teixeira said.

According to her, from independence to now, no government in Guyana has committed as many constitutional violations as the APNU+AFC Coalition did, much less within five short years. “There is no mea culpa….they have taken responsibility for nothing,” the Minister said.

Race Card

Teixeira also called out the APNU+AFC Coalition for their repeatedly resort to playing the race card for political benefit – a trend seen after the March 2, 2020 Election and, more recently, in the Budget 2021 presentation of Coalition Parliamentarians.

“They have come here with jaundiced eyes…everything they see is race…you saw our cultural, ethnic and religious diversity and linguistic diversity as something that was – and still is being used by you – to divide, instead to reconcile and build. You were vindictive and heartless and still are being vindictive and heartless,” she said.

The Minister added, “…they cannot look at our nation and see the kaleidoscope of our nation and how beautiful we are with our distinct differences –culturally, ethnically, religiously, geographically…. they deduce everything through a common denom - inator, race.

“…they did not comprehend that as Guyanese, we are many different colours and combinations….that despite our difference, we still love our country, we still want to be here, we still want to make this our come….Guyanese did not want to live in a situation where they (the Coalition) discriminated based on race, sometimes religion, and political affiliation.”

The legacy of the APNU+AFC Coalition, according to her, cannot be whitewash or downplayed. She said, “What the APNU/PNC/AFC has to live with for the rest of its existence is a legacy of a party that was willing to do anything and everything to stay in power, regardless of the will of the people…no government, not even (Forbes) Burnham’s government went to the extent they APNU/ PNC/AFC went to in 2020, none.”

Looking ahead, she stressed that Guyana is stronger for the struggles the country endured for five months.

“The point is, at the end of it all, democracy prevailed…we recognized that we have had to fight of this democracy, and we had to fight, again, to protect and preserve it…. democracy is now something that every citizen of this country recognizes as something that they have to fight to protect and defend,” Teixeira declared.

[SEE TIMELINE OF THE MARCH 2020 ELECTIONS DEBACLE ON PAGES 11-14] results of those elections from being declared.”

Citing the work of right-thinking Guyanese, as well as the international Election Observer Missions (EOMs), and the diplomatic corps, etc., he said, “Imagine where we would have been today if those miscreants were allowed to pervert the elections. We would have been a pariah state. We would have been blacklisted internationally. Caricom would have expelled [us]; Commonwealth may have done the same thing, the United Nations. It’s horrendous to think what would have happened in Guyana if those miscreants, those perpetrators, were allowed to pursue and execute their plans and their agendas.”

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.

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.

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 accept the legality of the elected PPP/C government, there is no move to release the . In the face of the Coalition’s refusal to so-called ‘evidence’ to support its victory – its copies of the GECOM-issued Statements of Poll (SOPs) – a contradictory narrative.

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.