Our vigilance to prevent another electoral fiasco is an important modus operandi

DEAREDITOR,

Mainstream media recentlycarriedletterstothe editorheadlined: ‘GECOMhasonceagain contrivedtoappointaPPPC preferred candidate to a seniorposition’.

Another stated; ‘

Alexander accuses GECOM of contriving to appoint a PPPC preferred candidate to position of DCEO’

In both instances, the words ‘contrive’ and ‘preferred’ were repeatedly usedtoconveyanuntruthful messagethatthechairperson at GECOM is complicit to decisionsthatarepartialand prejudicial.Theauthorofthe letter is APNU+AFC GECOM Commissioner, VincentAlexander

In the course of recent interviews to determine the most suitable applicant for the post of Deputy Chief ElectionsOfficer(DCEO)at GECOM, one thing became certain,therewasnoneedto find an algorithmic way of working out who was the preferred candidate for the opposition commissioners, and in order to achieve that objective they sought to d i s p a r a g e t h e professionalismofMrAneal Giddings and at the same time ‘big up’the credentials of their preferred candidate.

T h e O p p o s i t i o n

DEAREDITOR,

With reference to the letter, ‘Superficial analysis ofethnicityinacountrylike Guyana is little more than propaganda’ published on 31st March in the Stabroek News, I believe the writer sought to trivialise the concerns of others about the underrepresentation of Indian Guyanese in state agencies and institutions by claiming that ethnic groups are not ‘pure’ and therefore thereisn’texclusion.

This assertion is rather groundless.Forinstance,can one defend racial homogeneity in a state institution in a multi-ethnic country,byclaimingthatthe individuals may have ancestors of another ethnic group, thereby making them bi or multi-racial although theythemselvesidentifyasa particular ethnicity? If this weretruethenallallegations of exclusion and racial discrimination whether it is commissionersconveniently ignored the travesty they committedwhentheygavea free pass to Ms. Roxanne Meyers,whodidnotpossess the necessary years of experience at GECOM to perform the functions of a DCEO.

Inanefforttoplaydown their misdeed, Opposition commissioners now pontificate sanctimoniously, ‘two wrongs don’t make a right!’

It appears that because the three PPPC GECOM Commissioners disagreed with the three Opposition commissioners on how to weighandprioritisedifferent values in respect to democracy, transparency, accountability and good governance, they are accused along with the chairman of ‘contriving’ to frustrate the wishesdemands of the Opposition commissionersonkeyissues atGECOM.

T h e O p p o s i t i o n commissioners have failed to reconcile their understanding of how to conduct an unfair election with how a free and fair election ought to be conducted Small wonder why their preferred candidate for the post of DCEO could not explain whatoughtNOTtooccurata freeandfairelection.

Rather than trying to learn from new perspectives thrown up from past electoral experiences that may otherwise help them, Opposition commissioners prefer to pay attention to m i n u t i a e a n d u nimplementable practices which, if implemented, would cause great harm to a free and fair electoral process. Our mandate is to preventthatfromhappening.

Our vigilance to prevent anotherelectoralfiascoisan important modus operandi we must constantly exercise for our own survival as a proud democratic nation, unlike the fanciful endeavours of the political Oppositionwhoseattemptto steal the results of the 2020 election would have left Guyana a failed and pariah state with its populace unprotected from the vagariesofthisworld.From the antics performed by Opposition members at GECOMitisclearthatthere is no space to open their minds to a more transparent and democratic approach to elections The PPPC Commissioners prefer changeandinnovationtothe status quo ante but regrettably, this is seen by Messers VA, CB & DT as support for ‘contrived decisions’ and decisions basedon‘gymnastics.’

Mr Alexander and company’s rejection to find approaches that better allow our competing interests and values to be reconciled has proven untenable. The more contextual knowledge and supportive approaches both sides share on the ways and means of achieving a free andfairelection,themoreit willbeeasiertocometowise decisions that reinforces the democratic process in general and a free and fair electioninparticular

Since the Opposition commissionershaveoptedto jettison that approach, differences in perspective turn into standoffs resulting in impasse where each side employs different standards of good reasoning, and criticize each other for failing to meet standards viewed from each other’s perspective.

‘ M a l - i n t e n d e d ’ inferences made principally b y O p p o s i t i o n commissioners,onlyserveto translate simplistic thoughts to surreal ones void of enriching the exchange of views on important matters which the Guyanese people expect GECOM to address, with a sense of urgency and tolerance with the main objective being free and fair elections.

Yoursfaithfully,

ClementJ.Rohee

against Africans, Indians, Whites or Chinese would be without merit, and there wouldn’t be such things as unique cultures and traditions of distinct ethnic groups since they aren’t ‘distinct’. Is this a sound argument?

The fact remains that race and ethnicity have tremendously shaped Guyana’s history and society, as well as that of othercountries.

Mr Frederick Collins asked, ‘Who is an ethnic AfricanoranethnicIndian?’ I believe it’s whoever identifies as such. Who has the right to deny someone their identity, heritage, traditions and culture? Ethnicityisnotjustaboutthe way we look but our unique historyandwayoflife.

Can the writer dare tell someonewhoidentifiesasan African Guyanese that he/she is not or to an Indian Guyanese or Indigenous

Guyanese?

According to the 2012 Census approximately 39% of Guyanese identify as IndianGuyaneseand29%as AfricanGuyanese.

Most of the ethnic strife inGuyanahasbeenbetween these two groups. There are many legitimate stories of racism, discrimination and oppression.

There are many persons with tales of injustices and grievances and if these persons feel genuinely aggrieved and believe that they can prove that they’ve been wronged, who has the right to try to discredit their stories with the utterly ridiculous notion, that becausetheyaresupposedly not ‘ethnically pure’ their complaints are without merit? It is insulting to suggestsuchathing.

Also, just because someone has friends, family membersorancestorsfroma different ethnic group doesn’tgivethemafreepass to spout racist remarks or condoneracism. History is filled with many stories of oppression andpersecutionofparticular ethnic groups by others simply on the basis of ethnicity, religion, caste etc, for instance Apartheid in SouthAfricaandpersecution of the Dalits, Jews, Yazidis andUighurs.

During several protests or so-called marches for justice, Indian Guyanese have predominately been attacked by persons of another ethnic group and therearenewspaperarticles, television reports, photographs and videos to support this. Why? During the protest in Berbice and looting at the Mon Repos Market where persons of East Indian descent were attacked did the attackers ever stop to ask those personsiftheyare‘pure

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