We cannot move forward as a nation by rewriting history

Dear Editor,

The debate regarding the proposed development of Parade Ground is not genuinely about heritage. For decades, successive Afrocentric political formations and indeed political parties, have failed to produce any tangible projects that systematically remembered the tragedy involved in the 1823 Demerara Rebellion. The site has languished, and while leaders of various political formations would talk about the site and its historical significance, little to no sustained action was undertaken or planned.

But today, when an the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport proposes a plan for the site that is respectful and has meaning, again some wish to trivialize that proposal with semantic arguments and jejune innuendo. The uncomfortable truth is that had an Afrocentric organization proposed the same proposal, the very same people who now express outrage, would have welcomed that proposal without hesitation. This state of affairs reveals a problem of prejudice, rather than preservation.

It is in this context of selective outrage that Dr. Randy Persaud has been vilified in the most irresponsible and reckless manner. To call him a fascist ideologue, somehow mirroring a fascist ideologue like Josef Goebbels, is a ridiculous and dangerous distortion. Fascism, as defined, is determined, by whatever name exists in that form or discipline of governance, which suppresses democracy, eliminates dissent, and subjugates individual freedoms. Dr. Persaud has always been a defender of democracy, the rule of law, and the integrity of the electoral process. His writings and public statements, specific to the 2020 elections, show him to be a staunch defender of free and fair elections, accountable governance, and constitutional rights. These ideas are the very antithesis of fascism.

Those who are working to tarnish his name are actively avoiding addressing the substance of his argument. His argument is quite intentionally and systematically the 2020 General and Regional Elections were the subject of rigging. I was there. I listened to votes being counted that were not representative of the Statements of Poll. This was not due to human error, nor were the omissions small. The process was a sophisticated political operation to fabricate votes that would have overturned the will of the people.

Independent observers confirmed this. The European Union Election Observation Mission, the Organisation of American States, CARICOM and the Commonwealth all confirmed serious irregularities in the tabulation process at the Region Four Returning Office. They observed alterations to the spreadsheets, inflated totals, and procedures that violated electoral law. They confirm what I saw first-hand.

And to focus the public discourse on having a few poll books not having entries, is to trivialize the seriousness of what transpired. Missing entries in poll books are clerical issues. Fabricating a Statement of Poll is stealing an election. Missing entries are human error. Fabricating Statements of Poll is an attack on democracy.

The truth will come out. In 2020 Guyanese people voted, and an attempt was made to steal those votes. That truth is just as evident now as it was then, when the clock struck midnight on March 2. And history will track and record the actors, and the people who stood up for democracy and righteousness at all. Dr. Randy Persaud is one of those who stood up. His record indicates integrity, rather than ideology.

We cannot move forward as a nation by rewriting history, or by demonising those who are telling the truth about our own history. The attempted theft of the 2020 elections happened, and it was only successful because the truth won, and it always will win, no matter how many words are in circulation to undermine the truth.

Yours truly,
Mr. Samuel Emanuel Sandy, B.A, M.S.Ed., JP
Regional Vice Chairman
Demerara/ Mahaica
Region #4