By Mark DaCosta- With local government elections (LGE) two days ago, Guyanese should know about, and consider, all available options. One option, that is legal and valid, is the choice to not-vote for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). And PPP supporters may wish to ponder that fact in the context of whether or not the PPP is worthy of your vote.
There are two ways to not-vote: abstention (staying home on voting day) or spoiling the vote. With that in mind, one may consider some pertinent facts.
Whenever a responsible person makes a conscious decision to not-vote it is usually an act of protest. It should be noted that such a deliberate act is a legitimate democratic right. In fact, the world’s most populous democracy – India – and the place where democracy was invented – Greece – have, on the ballot itself, the choice to not vote for any candidate. That is, a voter can go to a polling place and cast a vote for no candidate. Other democracies that give voters that option, on the ballot itself, include Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, Uruguay, and the United Kingdom. Clearly, not-voting for a party or a person is a widely recognised democratic right.
While Guyanese do not have that option on the ballot paper itself, citizens may make the choice to not-vote by abstaining or spoiling their ballot.
In making a decision about what to do on June 12, PPP supporters may wish to ponder if you are satisfied with the way our country is being governed. Are you getting any benefits from the oil money that is pouring into the hands of the PPP regime? Are you happy under the current administration? Have your lives improved since the party took power in August 2020?
You must think carefully about such things. And if your answer to any of those questions is no, then, you would – if we are thinking straight – either vote for an opposition candidate or, not-vote.
You may consider, too, that not a single PPP government official has lost their job after 20 Guyanese children died in The Mahdia Tragedy. You should think about the unbearably high cost of living, and the failure of the PPP government to do anything about it. Escalating crime, escaping prisoners, rampant drug running, school violence, deteriorating roads, lack of medical care, police corruption, disrespect for Indigenous Guyanese, and homelessness should all be taken into account.
