The ABCE countries should stop speaking about sanctions and speak of a National Front Alliance

Dear Editor,

The United Republican Party (URP) challenges the two major political parties to form a National Front Government.
The United Republican Party (URP) Leader Dr. Vishnu Bandhu is calling on the two major political parties to put away the decades-long ‘winner takes all’ political tradition and establish a National Front Government where shared Governance will be the order of the day.

Racial strife has destroyed our country as it continues to destroy the world. How long must we continue to allow our citizens to become caught in the tangle of racial segregation and political greed?

Reflecting on the two major parties’ commentary about the results coming out of the recount, it is obvious that Justice (Retired) Claudette Singh, Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will have an angry commission to preside over when both sides meet to discuss the various narratives, which we have been hearing in the media up to this stage of the recount. Thus far (as per time of writing), 2172 ballot boxes out of the total 2339 completed, which leaves 167 boxes to be recounted. This being approximately 80 percent of the ballots cast at March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections.

A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has been raising several anomalies in the various workstations and has charged that the March 2 Elections were not credible.

The APNU+AFC has been raising concerns of deceased and migrated persons voting and missing statutory documents in ballot boxes in the March 2 General and Regional Elections in areas known to traditionally support the People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

The PPP/C, on the other hand, is maintaining that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has “no jurisdiction” to investigate the allegations of “electoral fraud” being leveled by the APNU/AFC Coalition, this should be done via an election petition after the results of the election has been declared.

Dr. Bandhu is reminding both the APNU+AFC and PPP/C leaders that they were both in agreement; hence, they both will accept the results of the recount.
Both of the major parties also said at the end of balloting on March 2, that the elections were free, credible and transparent.

The Presidential candidates of the two major parties Brigadier (Retired) David Granger and Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali should surprise Guyana by appearing together at a press conference with hands joined in victory, not for any political party, but to show a victory for all citizens of Guyana.

All the other parties that contested the March 2 Elections should join them in an act of solidarity for a safe and modern Guyana.

According to the Leader of the URP, all political leaders must exercise political maturity and stop thinking about self and political alliance, and begin to think about the country. “Unless an alliance that bridges the racial divide in our country is fostered, our people will continue to feel marginalized”. If one of the smaller parties that contested the General and Regional Elections got only a single vote, it means that they have a constituent they are representing.

Therefore, we must not allow sections of the electorate who have voted to go unrepresented because the party they voted for did not get a seat in parliament. Our constitution needs reform; it needs to have policies to ensure that every constituent is catered for. Our reformed constitution must also focus on the element of segregation and division that has destroyed the fabric of our culture, which is a hate crime. Hate crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and persons guilty of such crime must be subjected to jail time.

Electoral reform must also be at the core of the reform process and all political parties, which contested the March 2, 2020 Elections must be a part of the reform process.

I am calling on the ABCE countries to stop speaking about sanctions against our country and begin to speak of Shared Governance and a National Front Alliance situation. Let us all begin a movement that will heal our country of the vicious act of self-aggrandizement

Dr. Vishnu Bandhu
Leader of the United Republican Party (URP)