25th June – 5th July Quotes

1

“It was on June 13th forty years ago that the PNCR destroyed a shining symbol of democracy, Dr Walter Rodney. The PNCR have signalled that they are about to inflict a similar blow on democracy.
When one thought that Mingo was despicable, his boss, Lowenfield, is probably worse; as he proceeded to disenfranchise over 275,000 valid voters. Lowenfield scorned the notion that every vote counts. He produced a total countrywide valid vote count of 125,010 for the PNCR coalition and 56,627 for the PPPC. The count for the combined smaller parties was 3,363.”

DR TARA SINGH

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2

“But there is one person who carries an even greater role and influence, and that the APNU+AFC Presidential candidate David Granger.
The elections were hard fought, but it is time to bring the fight to an end. It is in the nature of competitive politics that one side seeks to persuade the electorate that it is more deserving of their vote than the other side. While defeat is always painful, it must never be dishonourable, and Granger will go a long way in restoring his credibility and the dignity of the high office he holds if he would call the PPP/C’s presidential candidate to congratulate him, wish him well, but signify to him that the Opposition is a legitimate part of the head table called the National Assembly.”     CHRISTOPHER RAM

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3

“You, the people of God of this nation Guyana, in the civil domain have been on hold since 21st December 2018. From that time until the present the major political parties have had much to say, the Courts have spoken, diplomats and observers have added their perspective, the Elections Commission has carried out its mandate. Local groups and individuals have given their views. What stands out in all of this is what you the people of God of this nation have shown. You have waited with patience and trust, you have admirably done your part in turning out to the polls and casting your vote. Over ten thousand persons, from among you, have supervised the voting procedure at the 2,239 polling stations and done so in a responsible manner – so proved by the statements of polls and recount,”        BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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4

“My message to my colleagues in the APNU+AFC is simple. No one elected us to remain in office forever. There is no reasonable basis on which you can claim to have won more votes than the PPP-C in these elections. Level with your supporters and start directing your energies towards becoming a credible opposition party in time for 2025. Above all, try to regain the trust of the swing voter. You will never win another election without their support”.

DOMINIC GASKIN

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5

“The CARICOM scrutineers have gilded that pledge, and the Chairman of GECOM, in respecting the legalities their Report ordained. has married law to democracy.

The outcome of the Guyana General Election 2020 must be an example – not only in Guyana but regionally and world-wide – of the strength of law and democracy.”

SHRIDATH RAMPHAL

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6

“The People of this country are starving and suffering due to unemployment caused by the pandemic. The country needs its government to make decisions. This is a time we must be strong and stand together. I simply cannot remain silent on this any longer- my love for country is unwavering. Whether we stand on the side of majority or the side of minority- we are all Guyanese. The Justice For All Party will continue to represent and serve the thousands of poor and voiceless Guyanese and will work tirelessly to ensure the prosperity of Guyana always.”

CHANDRANARINE SHARMA    and    SAVITREE SINGH SHARMA

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7

“While the PNCR failed in their bid to steal the elections on March 13, 2020, they refused to give up. Thus, three months later, on the same date, June 13, 2020, they once again got GECOM CEO Lowenfield to perform one of the greatest electoral frauds in the history of Guyana and the Caribbean.”

DR TARA SINGH

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8

“It would be truly unfortunate and unhelpful to our democracy if the chairperson is forced to use a casting vote, and it would go some way in restoring trust in the factions of the electorate if the chairperson can persuade her fellow commissioners to avoid a vote and rather come to an agreement by consensus. As a longstanding Judge, she no doubt has years of experience in the adversarial court system, and persuading rival sides to compromise.”

CHRISTOPHER RAM

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9

“In spite of the uncertainties that have been proffered, you the people as a body have held the body together. We give thanks to God for this,”

BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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10

“The AFC agreed with PNCR Leader and President, David Granger on a number of critical issues; such as: (1) not to institute constitutional reform as their stated top priority; (2) unilaterally appoint James Patterson as GECOM Chair; (3) defying the No Confidence Motion (NCM); (4) closing 4 sugar estates and laying off 7,000 workers, and providing them with no job alternatives; (5) accusing sugar workers of raiding the public treasury; (6) and denying the promised 20% pay raise to sugar workers and the promised $9,000 per bag of paddy to rice farmers.”      DR TARA SINGH

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11

“I am appealing to the persons who are determined on delaying the process of a declaration; It has been an exhausting 108 days for all the sons and daughters of this Nation. Enough is enough I say! It is time for Guyana to move on!”

CHANDRANARINE SHARMA

SAVITREE SINGH SHARMA

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12

“The question, therefore, is whether it is possible that a sizeable portion of the swing voters, who supported the AFC in 2015, abandoned the Coalition in 2020 and voted instead for the PPP and the new parties. To me this is entirely possible and therefore the results of the 2020 election, while not desirable, are certainly plausible.”

DOMINIC GASKIN

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13

“Here too you, the people of God, have risen to the call to keep the threat of the virus at bay. I have seen the very noticeable efforts on the part of many to wear their masks, to wash hands and sanitize, to keep distances and minimize gathering. This, I am sure, has contributed to the relatively low rates of infection from the virus. This we must sustain in order to overcome the threat. I have heard of the many positive and creative initiatives of people working at home, accessing lessons on line, reaching out through streaming and Zoom to keep in touch and to offer encouragement. Reports have come to me of many who have been celebrating their faith in their homes and in their families and also with the wider community via various digital avenues. Guyana is the home for many faiths and many who profess and celebrate their faith in their daily course of life.  It is wonderful to see,”      BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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14

“On March 14, 2020, Granger asked Caricom to send a team to validate the recount process. That activity once again revealed the duplicity of Granger, when one of his own candidates filed an injunction to block the recount that he had requested. The court subsequently allowed the recount to proceed.”

DR TARA SINGH

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15

“Despite the origin of their appointments, she and the other six commissioners are under oath to honour, uphold and preserve the Constitution. She, more than they, would recognise that they do have a fiduciary obligation to the electorate, and to conduct themselves without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.
As it is, the Commission is comprised of rank political appointments under an independent chairperson.”

CHRISTOPHER RAM

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16

“Let us continue to reach out to that part of the body and draw them into the mainstream of life and love. There are reports that within some of our homes where relationships have been strained, more so with the lockdown and stay home requirements and where children are at home from school, that there are instances of violent behaviour. This is a very troubling reality for us and leaves terrible wounds and scars on the body of God’s people. At present and in the aftermath of COVID-19 an all out and concerted effort needs to be sustained to ensure that the fullest respect is shown to all by all in an effort to remove this scourge of violence, in all its forms, from our midst altogether,”      BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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17

“With that being said, an Election has taken place under the watchful eyes of local and international observers. A National recount was carried out under the eyes of CARICOM. All votes were counted. There is a clear winner. The recount shows that the PPP/C has won the election. Therefore, Mr. Irfaan Ali should be allowed to be sworn in without delay.”

CHANDRANARINE SHARMA

SAVITREE SINGH SHARMA

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18

“In a nutshell, there are six things I would like to elaborate on concerning the 2020 elections adventure:
1) A win by either of the major contestants ought not to have come as a shock to anyone;
2) Supporters of the APNU+AFC were misled into believing that the coalition had won the election;
3) There was then a deliberate attempt to discredit the entire elections;
4) No evidence has been provided to support the claim of vast numbers of rejected ballots among those of the disciplined services, let alone the allegation of a deliberate attempt to invalidate the votes of the disciplined services;
5) No power on earth can convince the APNU+AFC leadership that it lost the election; and
6) All that has occurred since March 4th will make it extremely difficult for APNU and/or the AFC to defeat the PPP in 2025.”        DOMINIC GASKIN

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19

“This feast takes us into the mystery of God inhabiting the human state and through this act of love opening ways for us to have a fuller share and communion in the divine. In this feast we also celebrate the Body of Christ which is the people of God. We celebrate the many and diverse expressions of gifts and life that make up the body. St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor.12:12 ff) gives a beautiful analogy of the human body to the body that is the people of God; the many parts and functions of the body working in harmony, in mutual dependency, each part sustaining life in the others, bringing about a whole in celebration of life, reflecting the divine. It is a wonderful image of what a people can and ought to be,”         BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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20

“On March 13, 2020, Mingo made his second notorious declaration of Region 4 votes, and Lowenfield had no hesitation in using those fictitious Region 4 figures to declare the PNCR/APNU coalition as the victor of the 2020 elections. The Elections Commission held that declaration in abeyance.”

DR TARA SINGH

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21

“The Caribbean Scrutinising Team has now made Lowenfield’s report into a series of amateurish mistakes, and it is now up to GECOM how to reconcile the two. Both reports are now being “deliberated on” by GECOM, whose chairperson is, coincidentally, a retired judge.”

CHRISTOPHER RAM

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22

“Having said what I had to say back in March, and having then stayed silent for three months while the recount was agreed, challenged and finally executed, I can no longer wait quietly and politely while our country gets hijacked, ridiculed and torn apart.”

DOMINIC GASKIN

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23

“You the people, the body of this nation, have stood tall and firm through the whole period during which the nation was processing matters to do with governance and the threat of a pandemic. What you have done gives very positive testimony of this nation. You have kept faith, sustained hope and looked out for each other in love. From this very solid position you can now turn to that part of the body, the leadership duly elected, made up of government and opposition, with legitimate expectations to have them honour your vote and act in diligent service and oversight of all matters pertaining to your well-being,”    BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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24

“Whenever one spoke of elections-rigging within the Caribbean region prior to 2020, the PNCR party popped up, as well as two of its most celebrated architects: former Presidents Mr LFS Burnham and Mr Desmond Hoyte.
But if ever one thought that Burnham and Hoyte were adept at their craft, they must now know that PNCR’s and GECOM’s Keith Lowenfield and Clairmont Mingo have eclipsed their feat. They have staged two separate electoral coups d’etat of the March 2, 2020 elections in plain daylight and in the full view of the world, and hope that they would get away with it.”   DR TARA SINGH

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25

“It was clear that Keith Lowenfield went way outside of his remit as set out in the Recount Order and made findings and conclusions that have no legal basis, even though his report was endorsed by no less a luminary than Attorney General Basil Williams.”

CHRISTOPHER RAM

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26

“The APNU+AFC has no intention of relinquishing control of government. Five years after winning an election and gaining office with a fair amount of goodwill, the coalition is saying to the people who put us there, the equivalent of “unless and until WE are satisfied beyond a shadow of a doubt that “more votes are cast” in favour of another party in a an election that WE deem credible, WE ain going nowhere”. That condition will never be satisfied.”

DOMINIC GASKIN

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27

“You, the people of this nation, and how you have shown yourselves, are gifts in the hands of those elected to govern. We pray that the whole body will forge a way forward, coming together as a whole – One People, One Nation One Destiny – marked with the enduring gifts of faith, hope and love,”

BISHOP FRANCIS ALLEYNE

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28

“Fifteen weeks following the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, it seems that the process is coming to a close. This is despite the release of two conflicting reports submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission within the space of two days: the first by Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, who has a statutory function under the Representation of the People Act; and the other by the CARICOM Scrutinising Team.”

CHRISTOPHER RAM

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29

“The observation report submitted by GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield demonstrates how he has toppled LFS Burnham from the inner core of the PNCR rigging vortex.
Lowenfield has committed “the mother” of all rigging. What GECOM’s Clairmont Mingo had failed to deliver, Lowenfield is desperately trying to fulfill for his sponsors at Congress Place.”

DR TARA SINGH

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