Statement by WPA polling agent Danuta Radzik – 1985 Elections – Appendix I

At 4:00 p.m. about 10-15 Afro-Guyanese men entered the polling station in the presence of about 20 voters. They came directly up to the two opposition polling agents and told us that we had to leave immediately and that we should collect all our things. They approached the PPP polling agent first. When they came to me, I attempted to make an objection the Presiding Officer. I was cut short immediately and told by the thugs! “Don’t worry with that, get your things, collect all your things, collect your cigarettes and leave”.

They waited till I put everything in my bag and I walked out with them.

The thugs stayed around the area outside for about 10-15 minutes, then got into vehicles and drove off. The voters all stayed their ground in the face of this intervention. The presiding officer, Assistant Presiding Officer and Polling Clerks made no objection to this intervention.

The policewoman in the station who had been on duty all day was not present inside at the time of this invasion. I later saw her at the door of the polling station after the thugs had left. The voters remained waiting in their lines to vote; there were approximately 20 in the line and more were coming in.

OBJECTIONS FILED DURING COURSE OF DUTY

• Both I and the PPP Agent noticed early in the day that the PNC polling agent (a woman) was making lists of what appeared to be voters who had not voted yet. She was visited fairly frequently (about 4 times) by an unknown person (no identification card was pinned to him). We jointly agreed that the objection to her making these lists should be done when she was attempting to turn them over to the unknown person. When the PPP polling agent had left the office for a short while, this same person returned to the PNC polling agent. At this time there were no voters in the building. This was the after lunch period about 1-1:30 p.m.

I got up from my chair and went to stand where I could see them. The man told me to vote away. I moved but to a position from which I could still see. The woman began to fumble with eh papers and finally removed them to the person. When she did this, I objected to the Presiding Officer that the PNC polling agent had been making lists continuously throughout the polling period when I as a WPA representative had been told to stop making lists early that morning. I was threatened with eviction if I continued. I said that the PNC agent had just handed over the lists to the man who had put it in his pocket and voiced my suspicion that they would be used to allow fraud to take place.

I feel that the names and IDs of voters who had not yet voted were being compiled by this agent so as to allow PNC multiple/recycled voting. The Presiding Officer did not respond. The person took the list out with him. After 15 minutes the presiding officer called the PNC polling agent aside and spoke to her. The man continued to come in, and continued to take lists, though more discreetly. The assistant polling agent had called him and asked him to get more ink and had used his name.

• The PPP agent make and objection the Presiding Officer about persons sitting outside the entrance, (the bridge of the school) with voters lists. This objection was that this was within the stipulated boundaries. I added an objection that persons and/or voters passing in the street were being called and their names being checked as to whether they had voted – or they may have been given names to vote with. After the objection was made, they moved to the end of the fence and continued their operations. Another objection was made, in this matter, and the Presiding Officer asked me whether I wanted them to go where I couldn’t see them. He said that as the Presiding Officer he could not leave the building to deal with that.