As our nation prepares once again to head to the polls on 1st of September, 2025, the people of Guyana are left with one burning question: can we truly trust the systems in place to safeguard our votes? The answer, unfortunately, is NO.
For far too long, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been clouded by controversy, political manipulation, and an undeniable bias towards the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP). From the head to the very sole of its feet, GECOM has become an institution compromised, incapable of inspiring confidence in its neutrality or integrity.
In such a climate, political parties must take proactive steps to secure the sacred vote of the people. One practical and urgent measure is the use of independent security seals for ballot boxes. Why should we entrust the most vital symbol of our democracy—the ballot box—to seals provided by a Commission that has already lost public trust? To do so would be naïve at best and reckless at worst.
We have all witnessed the tricks, the manipulation, and the brazen disregard for transparency that have stained past elections. With state resources and influence at its disposal, the PPP government continues to operate hand-in-hand with a GECOM machinery that too often bends to its will. If the ballot box is compromised, then the people’s voice is silenced before it can even be heard.
Independent political parties must, therefore, rise to the occasion. By procuring their own security seals, tamper-proof, and verifiable, they send a powerful signal that the protection of the vote will not rest in the hands of those already compromised. This is not merely about suspicion; it is about safeguarding democracy against an institution that has failed to prove itself trustworthy.
The time has come for vigilance. Each political party must take responsibility for ensuring that ballot boxes remain untampered from polling station to
district centre. This is not a call for chaos but a call for safeguarding our democracy. A call for fairness. A call to protect the will of the Guyanese people.
The ballot box belongs to the people, not to GECOM, and certainly not to the PPP government.
