APNU+AFC not interested in free, fair elections – Commissioner Rohee
– party trying to bully its way into elections according to its diktat
Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner, Clement Rohee has called out the opposition, APNU+AFC for what he deems as its “shameless piece of wordsmithing”, which he said has reaffirmed a long-held view, that “the coalition has no interest nor intention to participate in National Stakeholders’ Forum.”
The event will be held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, to discuss the draft amendments to the electoral laws of Guyana.
The APNU+AFC issued a recent press release, which Mr Rohee noted, coincides with the “dilly-dally” posture adopted by the opposition commissioners at GECOM, in relation to the holding of the Local Government Elections (LGE).
“They seek to use their rejection of the timely and useful public consultation organised by the Ministry of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs as a smokescreen to cover their sinister motives.
“This is yet another lame manifestation of bravado and a poor attempt at pretending to be defenders of free and fair elections when the whole world knows that it is the other way around,” the GECOM commissioner stated in a social media post on Thursday.
Mr Rohee said it is clear that the APNU+AFC does not want LGE, on the grounds that it will expose “their weak and degraded underbelly” as it relates to its electoral fortunes.
“What the APNU+ AFC want is regional and general elections held exclusively under their hobbled together terms and conditions, using international best practices, which they themselves blatantly ignored and pushed aside following the 2020 election and the months that followed. All the measures they have called for in their press statement, cumulatively, is aimed at by passing Local Government Elections (LGE) and to bully their way to a General and Regional Elections held in accordance with their diktat. That will not happen,” he expressed.
The PNC and its cohorts in the APNU+AFC, the commissioner noted, have never had any interest in free and fair elections, pointing to the party’s track record since 1968, which shows, “multiple local and external shenanigans they have resorted to rig an election thus denying the Guyanese electorate the right to have a government of their choice by engineering an outcome that gives them a majority in the National Assembly and control of the Executive even if it means purposely miscalculating what a majority of 65 would be.”
Further, Mr Rohee pointed out that Guyana is now on the cusp of gradual and, in some key sectors, rapid transformation. He said new vistas are opening up despite numerous challenges which the Dr Irfaan Ali Administration is tackling head-on.
The GECOM commissioner made it clear that a clean voters list, removal of the deceased from the list nor preventing persons who are constitutionally entitled to vote at a Regional and General elections will not deliver power to the APNU+AFC.
“The numbers across ethnic lines have moved by leaps and bounds into the camp of the PPP/C, the process continues inexorably. It is a process the APNU+AFC cannot hold back. The APNU+AFC could preach as much fire and brimstone as they wish and they may issue as many threats at destabilisation and burnish their political propaganda with race hate as they may, but the truth will always prevail.”
As Guyana is celebrating, Diwali, the Festival of Lights, Mr Rohee expressed hope that the dark shroud which the APNU+AFC seeks to throw over Guyana will be overtaken with the brightness of light, with rays of hope and inspiration in a future that holds so much for our country’s future.