Obsession for power seems blinding to the realities of sanctions

Dear Editor,

Contemporary history has identified the “saving grace” of democracy to victory over the persians in the battle of Salamis and Plataea by the alliance of Greek city states, 2500 years ago. It is anticipated that had the Persians defeated the Greeks, the Roman Empire and all the innovative advances in science and technology that came after, from that area in the following eras, would have never existed. Democracy may have never existed as a word or a condition that is now alluded to as ” Government of the people for the people and by the people.”

The world has change rapidly over the last 50 years. Brutal dictatorships that had replaced colonialism in independent nations have been slowly smothered by the rising international community of nations and the quest for Democratic norms. In short, the nations of the world are more aligned on a “paradigm shift” towards becoming each other’s “brother’s keeper”. This brotherhood does not ask too much of each other. It requires that Governments adhere to their Democratic structures and principles of their respective countries for the benefit of their people or in short, respect the will of the electorate or face the consequences – personal and economic sanctions and non recognition by the international community.

The March 2nd elections in Guyana is in checkmate. Based on the shenanigans that took place at Gecom in the verification of the results, the Guyanese people and the international community was privy to what they consider to be a conspiracy by the incumbent APNU/AFC Coalition and Gecom to distort the will of the electorate to give the Coalition a new mandate. The international community has threatened to unleash sanctions if a president is sworn in on the flawed declaration of region 4 results by RO Mingo but that does not seem to deter the Coalition’s obsession for power.

The failed attempt by Granger to have a high level Caricom team supervise a recount of the votes, on account of a member on his candidate list, filing an injunction to stop the recount, does not absolve the president from what seems like collusion and the embarrassment ensued by the nation. If a president cannot control the people on his would be team, he is a fake – unworthy of being president.

The signs are evident! A dictatorship runs hand in hand with a police state. The police attempting to have Giftland owner train his security cameras away from the containers containing the ballot boxes at the ACCC, offers a glimpse of the future. The ballot boxes are being jockeyed around like pawns on a chestboard by directives unrelated to Gecom without informing the relevant stakeholders,
reeks of sinister motives by the president – given that his position alone survives the dissolution of parliament for elections.

It seems imperative that we are being taken on the road to sanctions and we must welcome them as a necessity in the struggle to salvage our democracy

Rudolph Singh