Condemnation of attempts to undermine the electoral process

Dear Editor,

We the undersigned call on the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, the CEO, Assistant CEO, Returning Officers and Deputy Returning Officers to fulfill their legal and statutory obligations to ensure that a transparent and credible process for counting, recounting, and verifying the votes of all who cast ballots for their choice of political parties on March 2, 2020 is honoured and adhered to as set out in the relevant sections of the Representation of the People Act. We urge that all relevant processes as set out in the Representation of the People Act be carried out in the presence of accredited national, regional and international observers.

We condemn in the strongest terms any and all attempts to undermine the electoral process in Guyana.

Guyanese have fought and struggled for too long to have their fundamental rights to free and fair elections and elections free from fear trampled on in 2020.

We are alarmed at the acts of intimidation, the threats, and verbal attacks including sexual threats to women and girls, the physical violence, the reports of property invasion by groups, attacks on police officers and schoolchildren and ethnicity-based attacks being reported in several communities. Recent reports of the loss of life of one young person points to escalating violence which must cease immediately. We condemn and call on all Guyanese to condemn and refrain from all racial and ethnic slurs and actions, to respect the rule of law and keep the peace. We call on all political parties to abstain from provocative statements, ensure that their supporters do not violate the fundamental rights of any citizen and keep all protest action free from any kind of violence or intimidation. We call on the police and security forces to protect the rights of all Guyanese and carry out their duties without bias in accordance with the law of Guyana.  We also call on Guyanese of all ethnicities from all regions to resist attempts to promote violence and hostility and to allow the Guyana Police Force to perform their duties.

We know, and history has shown, that it is always women, children and the vulnerable, particularly poor women and children, who are most affected when ethnic hostility and violence flare up.

Guyana belongs to all of us.

Yours faithfully,

Karen de Souza for Red Thread

Josephine Whitehead & Danuta

Radzik for Help & Shelter

Omattie Madray for ChildLink