The President and Leader of the Opposition agreed on a recount. In their Aide Memoire, the word “recount” appears four times while the word “audit” does not appear. “Recount” was never defined, but the Aide Memoire stated that it would take place in accordance with “the applicable law,” as well as the Constitution and court decisions. It could only have meant the Representation of the Peoples Act (the Act) which is the only existing, applicable, law for a recount. There is nothing to suggest that when the leaders signed the Aide Memoire that they meant anything other than the recount process provided for by the Act.
Continue reading “GECOM HIJACKED THE RECOUNT AND CONVERTED IT INTO AN AUDIT”OPEN LETTER TO THE CARICOM OBSERVER TEAM
Dear Distinguished Caricom Observer Team: Messrs Cynthia Barrow-Giles, John Jarvis and Sylvester King.
Continue reading “OPEN LETTER TO THE CARICOM OBSERVER TEAM”GECOM HAS LOST ALL CLAIM TO CREDIBILITY
The jury is still out on whether GECOM will deliver credible election results, notwithstanding the widespread demands of the international community and a broad cross-section of Guyanese. In any rational society, the entire membership of GECOM would have resigned due to its failure to honour its constitutional responsibilities. By resigning GECOM would be demonstrating its collective responsibility for its failure to complete the elections, even though all members may not bear equal responsibility.
Continue reading “GECOM HAS LOST ALL CLAIM TO CREDIBILITY”‘EVERYTHING IS GRIST TO THE HISTORIAN’S MILL’
Interest in “Ian on Sunday” of April 12, (“Everything is interesting,”) attracted not only my attention but that of SN’s editorial writer last Friday, days after I had completed this effort. Ian McDonald related how he conducted a “great clearing operation” and lyrically described the relief: “Disposing of detritus is a little like returning life to greater simplicity and more focused meaning.” But then came the vandal’s remorse. What if, in destroying what would be considered rubbish, is an act of vandalism, because “everything is grist to the historian’s mill,” citing Joel Benjamin, Guyana’s late outstanding archivist and bibliophile.
Continue reading “‘EVERYTHING IS GRIST TO THE HISTORIAN’S MILL’”THE DARING ABSURDITY OF THE 156-DAY PLAN
The daring absurdity of the 156-day plan for the recounting of the ballots of the March 2 elections begs the question of what exactly goes on at meetings of the Elections Commission. The word about is that the working principle, suggested by a Commissioner is that two Commissioners should be present at the counting of each ballot box. That meant that only three counting stations, counting one box at a time, could operate at any one time. At this pace, and with over 2,000 ballot boxes to be counted, the time of 156 days was arrived at.
Continue reading “THE DARING ABSURDITY OF THE 156-DAY PLAN”