Dear Editor,
One of the fundamental strengths of democratic societies is the acceptance and promotion of the right to vote by secret ballot. For more than 150 years the secret ballot has encouraged and protected the preferential choice of voters at all levels of government. Hence, it is the absolute responsibility of the Central Committee (CC) members of the PPP to maintain the inviolable secrecy of the ballot.
Whatever precedents were previously set, the secret ballot must now be the accepted practice in the selection of the PPP presidential candidate. Not using the secret ballot will be tantamount to committing a despotic act. This will suggest that a single individual, and maybe with collaborating minions on the CC, wields considerable power and authority in controlling how ‘subordinates’ vote.
While it will be injudicious to label anyone on the CC as having despotic tendencies, the recent letters in this newspaper, nevertheless, permit the inference that some may be inclined to implement autocratic decision-making processes. Without dwelling on human fallibilities, it is worthwhile to consider that as a representative democracy, Guyana can ill afford to have its ruling party ignore the fundamental conventions and benefits of the secret ballot. Therefore, to prevent the emergence of a dictator, the members of the CC must, without hesitation, use the secret ballot voting method to select the next presidential candidate. This will provide some measure of assurance to the CC members, that irrespective of whom they vote for, they will not become visible targets of victimization, persecution, or even egregious recriminations.
Yours faithfully,
V Chris Lakhan
