Dear Editor,
The lengths and depths that the APNU+AFC has gone and is willing to go to illegally hold on to power are no longer surprising. If they had pursued good governance and the development of Guyana with the same vigour and passion as they have pursued trying to rig the March 2 elections, maybe Guyana would be in a better place today. Instead, the current state of affairs in the country is one rife with stagnation and deceit only made worse by the poor management of the ongoing threats posed by the Coronavirus.
It is during times like these that the country or any country needs strong and legitimate leadership. Such leadership would not only help calm the fears of the Guyanese people but also mobilize and secure much needed internal and external resources. Rather, Guyana continues to face the prospects of an illegitimate government despite unambiguous decisions recently handed down by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and Acting Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire and amidst rising pressure from the international community.
While fair-minded Guyanese at home and in the diaspora will agree that Justice George-Wiltshire has been a beacon of impartiality throughout the various legal challenges that have come before her this election season, such conclusions would be hard to draw vis-à-vis the decisions handed down by the Court of Appeal in recent memory. The fact that the CCJ unequivocally overturned the last few decisions does not bode well for an independent judiciary. It also does not offers much confidence to the Guyanese people given the latest vexatious and frivolous legal challenge by a supporter of the APNU+AFC. As such, the current dubious appeal before the Court will test its true independence in no uncertain terms. Regardless of the decision, however, it would be unwise to think that this case will not end up at the CCJ, thus further delaying the long-awaited results of these elections.
Regardless of the latest legal battle, the operative question is, how much longer should Guyanese wait for the declaration of the results? That the Guyana Elections Chair (GECOM) Chair, Justice Claudette Singh is seen as someone steeped in the procedural tradition of allowing legal challenges to take its course is not uncommon. However, it has come at an enormous cost to Guyana and her people. There comes a point in time where the costs of such actions outweigh the benefits. As a country, we have long passed that point and with each passing day, the situation is becoming grimmer. For the armchair lawyers among us, it does not appear that declaring the results infringes on any legal precepts. Thus, with the true result of these elections all but declared, it is time for GECOM to stop pussyfooting and formally declare the results, paving the way for Dr. Irfaan Ali to be sworn in as the 9th Executive President of Guyana and for the healing to begin.
Yours faithfully,
Omchand Mahdu
