It was a rewarding moment for this nation and our fledgling democracy to see persons turning out in large numbers to exercise their democratic right and actively participate in shaping the direction of our beloved country at the just concluded Local Government Elections. Those were the words of Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Forde said democracy is not merely a political system and a vote; it is a progressive way of life that empowers individuals and allows their voices to be heard. “By actively engaging in the democratic process through voting, Guyanese, continue to demonstrate commitment to the principles upon which our great nation was founded, principles of justice, equality, inclusion and participation of all our people from the highest to the lowest echelons.”
He recalled for more than 20 years citizens were denied participating in local government by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and this was restored in 2016 by the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government. Prior to 2016, the last local government elections were held in 1994.
Touching on what many have referred to as the governing PPP/C’s vote- buying attempt, the member of parliament said as the country awaits declarations of the officials results, unofficial results have shown Guyana’s inter-party system of governance has survived and the PPP/C’s hope to dominate and control every political space dashed.
According to the senior counsel, “these results also prove the PPP/C’s misguided and discriminatory use of taxpayers’ resources in its vile vote-buying scheme was rejected by the good citizens of this country. We must be proud of ourselves and continue to forge a Guyana for all.”
He has also called on Guyanese to remain vigilant as we await GECOM’s declarations, particularly given the experiences of 2020, 2011 and 2006 Elections results. These elections are not over until every credible vote is counted and duly accorded, and the will of the people is accurately expressed, Forde warned. “Until such time it cannot be business as usual.”
The PPP/C used the election period to bring forward the disbursement of school cash grants, distribute cash grants to selective communities and hand out contracts to clean drains and build small bridges in Opposition strongholds.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, after leaving the voting booth Monday told reporters if the PPP/C wins Georgetown the government will restore the city. The A Partnership of National Unity (APNU) has retained control of the city, and this creates speculation whether the government would continue to starve City Council of resources and ignore the city’s clamour for infrastructural development and tax reform.
The APNU also retained control of New Amsterdam and Linden, two key towns the PPP/C threw hundreds of millions of dollars behind in the hope to sway the electorate.
During the various celebrations Monday evening, persons in opposition strongholds could be heard saying “they votes were not for sale.” Political commentators, who spoke with Village Voice News, said qualitatively the PPP/C has been bruised from the elections. One commentator said the party will find it hard to recover from the political embarrassment and check on authoritarianism.
Democracy is about free will and those who exercised a free, unstifled vote, are commended for solidifying their determination to build a Guyana, where every citizen will be included and respected, asserted Forde.
According to him, every free unmanipulated vote cast is a win for Guyana. This he said, must be heralded and accompanied by “a push to increase these numbers by rejecting our would be oppressors, seekers of a one-party state, fraudsters who come as wolves in sheep’s clothing to destroy the voices of the opposition and relegate us to a state of mendicancy.”
In apparent reference to the PPP/C, Forde has called on Guyanese to widen their net to inform all and sundry of the dangers posed by those who embrace democracy only as lip service as they seek to make Guyana a ruthless autocracy. “We must empower them to resist,” he charged.
Forde, who holds the parliamentary portfolio of shadow Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, said Guyanese must be made aware that “we can only achieve what we set out to do effectively, if we do so as a united force with enlightened and strong leadership committed to the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, equity in the development of all our people that would see the realisation of One People One Nation One Destiny.”
The Guyana Elections Commission on Tuesday has begun releasing results online.
