The announcement of general elections in Guyana is a signal for an immediate increase in tension across the land. Historical experience – decades old now but still potent in the memory – of crass manipulation of the vote, added to the racial divide, party battle lines sharply drawn, bitter personal animosities thrown in and the knowledge that there is so much at stake combined with the certainty that it will be a close run thing, guarantees that tension will escalate during the course of election campaigning.
Indeed, so volatile is the brew that it is remarkable, astonishing really, that Guyana has
