APNU+AFC may be seeking time to enable non-nationals to be qualified for citizenship

Dear Editor,

The abundance of conspiracy theories notwithstanding, one particular view attracted my attention recently.

Ralph Ramkarran in his recent ‘Conversation Tree’ column (S/N 8.9.’19) put forward what could be considered the most plausible possibility thus far.

This is how he put it:

‘At the current estimated date of March, only two more months are needed for the government’s five-year anniversary, by which time all those seeking citizenship will probably have their applications granted.’

Implicit in Ramkarran’s theory is his take that time and space is critical for the APNU+AFC. That the coalition needs time to make campaign space for themselves, and time to allow for the maturing of calendar dates for non-nationals to be qualified for citizenship and, by extension, the right of passage to vote at what some have baptized the ‘Mother of all Elections.’

In essence, what this means is, if there is to be rigging, then it will be done with a modicum of sophistication that will make detection possible but a challenge highly improbable.

The APNU+ AFC must know they can buy time but not morality.

It has long been suspected that the Department of Citizenship under the Ministry of the Presidency has been engaged in shenanigans aimed at operationalizing what can be described as a ‘Citizenship for Votes’ operation.

In the circumstances, in order to appear clean and legal, this type of concocted citizenship can, or may have been facilitated via ‘Late Regis-tration’ in collaboration with the GRO; Arranged marriages and CARICOM Free Movement of Skills Certificates to facilitate ‘Indefinite Stay’.

Needless to say, each of the application processes mentioned earlier can be circumvented within the meaning of the Guyana Citizenship Act, Cap 14:01 Section 7 (2) which states inter alia:

‘The Minister shall not be required to assign any reason for the exercise of any discretionary power confirmed on him as to the registering as a citizen, the naturalizing or certifying the Citizenship of any person and no exercise of any such power shall be subject to appeal or review in any court.’

Clearly, this is not conspiratorial, it is objectively, a dangerous discretionary power the APNU +AFC has in its arsenal of weapons that we know of, and can be utilized at this point in time to reap a bountiful harvest of supposedly legal votes.

But as the plot thickens, the refusal by the previous Chairman of GECOM and, what appears to be the line of march of the current chairperson not to entertain any involvement of international elections experts at key and critical levels of the elections machinery is tantamount to a conspiracy between the government appointed members of the commission, the CEO and the coalition administration.

Ms. Singh has to make sure she does not become trapped in this conspiratorial vortex.

The situation is made no better since, with every passing day, public perception seem to be growing stronger to the effect that the GECOM chairperson appears to be tiptoeing around the laws of Guyana.

Guyanese who want to see a change of government have a right to ventilate their views on any move they consider suspicious or conspiratorial on the part of government especially when it comes to elections.

This brings us to the big question of trust.

There is no doubt that the APNU+AFC coalition administration has lost whatever the level of trust it reaped before May 2015 and during the honeymoon period immediately thereafter.

Leading members of the coalition have from time to time, either lied, covered-up or thrown dust in the eyes of the electorate.

From day one of the regime’s assumption to office the nation was lied to justifying the humongous increases in salaries and allowances to the newly minted cabinet ministers. This was followed by the drug bond and the D’Urban Park fiascos, the unexplainable sole-sourcing of drugs for the GPHC and the more recent freeing of the crime chief of corruption charges, a move that reeks of political interference from the highest level.

The APNU+ AFC interim administration is yet to learn that trust will not be gained from an already frustrated electorate who have grown tired of promises of a ’good life’ and empty rhetoric about being ‘on the right path’

So long as the interim administration continues with its shady and conspiratorial dealings, the electorate will grow restless and at some point in time, a crescendo of voices clamouring, ‘We the People’ will shake the foundations on which the interim administration now stands.

Yours faithfully,

Clement J. Rohee