APNU/AFC “has no good intention” – PPP/C candidate

People’s Progressive Party/Civic Candidate, Hugh Todd on Tuesday contended that there are no good intentions coming from the coalition Administration, as the party continues their tactics to stay in power – despite losing the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

His comments were made on Tuesday during one of the party’s discussion forum and come in light of the three consecutive cases filed by the caretaker Administration, preventing the Guyana Elections Commission from declaring the elections results and keeping the country at a standstill for over four months.

Chief Justice Roxane George on Monday dismissed the latest application filed by Misenga Jones since most of the 28 reliefs she sought from the court were already litigated in previous matters brought in the cases of Ulita Moore and Eslyn David. This has since been appealed by Jones at the Appellate Court.
As such, Todd said even the Guyanese electorate have witnessed the coalition’s attempts to fluster their rights in selecting a Government.

“I think they (Guyanese) have already come to the conclusion that the PNC and Congress Place, what they’re basically trying to do is frustrate the electoral process and undermine our democratic principles and values. These are bullies at work, gangsters in suits, criminal-minded individuals. They have no good intention,” Todd expressed.
According to him, the tactics would have started since inflated numbers were provided by District Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo and have since continued to date. However, these efforts were invalidated after the recount showed a win for the PPP/C.

“Because citizens expressed their democratic right to elect Dr Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, they went rogue on us. From the time Mingo produced those numbers, they had it in their minds to be vindictive, to be evil and to show Guyanese that they’re going to punish them for not giving them another chance to rig this country.”
Todd, who is also a lecturer at the University of Guyana, lamented that the APNU/AFC has forsaken the livelihoods of the population for their own gains.

“You’re dealing with people who don’t care when it comes to the lives and livelihood of Guyanese citizens…They’re not interested in the will of the people and that is what they’re trying to show us, that they’re not going to give us an opportunity to have a declaration that will see Dr Irfaan Ali sworn in as the newly-elected President,” the candidate positioned.

In fact, it was shared that when the elections are finally over, persons will solely remember caretaker President David Granger as the face behind this oppression and works to dampen the will of the people.
“He has one more opportunity to come to the Guyanese people and the rest of the world and say ‘I have exhausted all of my opportunities. I thought I had good positions but I’m now convinced that I have to concede’. He is the one who everyone will remember. Who’s going to remember the utensils?” he questioned.

During Monday’s ruling, Justice George said that contrary to the submissions by Attorney General Basil Williams and Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, that the Caribbean Court of Justice invalidated the recount in the ruling of Irfaan Ali et al v Eslyn David et al, their contention was flawed since the Court, in fact, upheld the validity of Order 60.
“…the interpretation of the CCJ decision by the applicant, the CEO and the AG is hopelessly flawed. The CCJ judgment lends to the ineluctable conclusion that the recount votes are ex facie valid. Hence the view expressed that any irregularities would have to be addressed via an election petition,” she said in her judgement.

Further expounding, Justice George said that the entirety of the CCJ’s judgement should be read and endorsed the Chair’s submission that cherry-picking is not the way to go. The CCJ had determined that validity can only mean that votes that, on the face of it, are valid – after the weeding out of spoilt or rejected ballots. In keeping with that, the CJ noted that as a result of Jones’ contention “has no merit”.
In this regard, the CJ ruled that given the decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the recount cannot be considered to be invalidated.