Exactly five months after voters went to the polls and the rolling back of blatant efforts to rig the March 2nd general elections in favour of APNU+AFC, the PPP/C’s presidential candidate Irfaan Ali was dramatically sworn in yesterday as Guyana’s 9th President.
The fast-moving events came after Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield finally submitted the results of the recount showing a PPP/C victory to GECOM Chair Claudette Singh who then declared Ali the new President and advised the Chancellor of the Judiciary to prepare for the swearing in.
Ali was sworn in at around 4.20 pm at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, the culmination of months of stalemate that saw an exhaustive recount of ballots overseen by CARICOM and a flurry of legal actions that went all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Shortly after taking the oath of office, the 40-year-old Ali used his inaugural address to promise a term built on unity of the nation and trust.
“I want to assure you that I would uphold that oath; that I would work every day, in the best interest of the people of Guyana. There is only one future, and that future requires a united Guyana,” Ali said.
“That future requires a strong Guyana that future requires every Guyanese to play a part in building our country and ensuring we leave a better Guyana for the next generation. We are in this together. We are not separated by class, ethnicity, religion or political persuasion. We are united in the true Guyanese spirit,” he added.
Former Army Chief of Staff and Ali’s campaign mate, Brigadier Mark Phillips was also sworn in as Prime Minister.
Singh was not present at the swearing-in ceremony.
In attendance at yesterday’s ceremony were members of the diplomatic community, Heads of the Joint Services, Ali’s wife Arya and infant son, his parents and several party executives and supporters. The newly sworn in President said that he had extended an invitation to his predecessor David Granger but he did not attend.
Ali, who also served under former President Bharrat Jagdeo as Housing Minister, also announced three appointments and said it was the “first set of appointments for the next Cabinet”. Jagdeo was named Vice President, Gail Teixeira as Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs and Anil Nandlall as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, a position he held up to 2015, when the PPP/C lost those elections. They all took their oaths yesterday.
While he did not go into detail about immediate ministerial or development plans, Ali promised that at his inauguration celebration, scheduled to be held this Saturday, he will “announce the plans of your government fully.”
For the new President, getting to work immediately to build a nation that has endured economic setbacks not only from the five-month political impasse but also from global COVID-19 restrictions was a priority.
“This is a moment for all Guyana to reflect to charter a way forward in which to develop the aspirations of all our people. We have to ensure that this is what the government would focus on; a development agenda that would focus on the priorities of every Guyanese. We are building a country for every Guyanese. There is no need for fear, there is no need for fear, and there is no need for distinction based on political persuasion, no need for distinction based on race or ethnicity. This is a government for all of Guyana that is the way we will operate. We are committed to democracy, good governance and the rule of law”, he said.
During his election campaign, Ali told the nation that if elected, they would never have to call him “lazy”, as he vowed that he will make his hometown proud as, according to him, he plans to work fervently to create and implement policies, both fiscal and social, that would see Guyana benefiting significantly, moreso with wealth from its emerging oil and gas sector.
“I assure you that I will not disappoint you. I assure you that I will not be lazy. I assure you that I will be out there. I assure you that I will not buckle under any circumstances. I assure you that I will not succumb to any threat under any circumstances that will come our way. I will stand with this party and I will stand with all of our supporters and all of Guyana against any threat that comes our way,” he had said.
Yesterday, Ali, who had been dogged on the campaign trail by questions over his academic credentials, said that he felt “honoured” that voters trusted him enough to be their president and he vowed once again that they will not regret their decision.
He promised that he will offer “a government that is accessible and one that would be more than will to share with you information as we work on building our Guyana, in the interest of all”.
Dressed in a royal blue suit and signature party red neck tie, Ali, who will have to confront concerns about the influence that Jagdeo will have on his government, said that he never gave up hope that democracy would prevail and always believed that the day would come when he would be sworn in based on the will of the people.
To claims from the opposition that the election was fraudulent and that the recount results should not have been used, he said that the court has ruled in the latter matter and the law gives the right to contesting parties to file an elections petition.
“I think that matter has been dealt with at the court and I am not going to go over that at this time. The CEO is entitled to his own opinion. Any political party can go to an elections petition. A new government has been sworn in, a new president has been sworn in and we are focusing on transitioning to a Guyana in which our development aspirations can be realized and our focus now is not on negativity. Our focus is on positive activity for Guyana,” he said.
“I was always confident. The events [of these five months] have strengthened my resolve and commitment to ensuring that there is always democracy, good governance and the rule of law and the changes required to ensure we are never in a position like this again. That must be addressed,” he added.
Expressing thanks to the 10 contesting parties which supported the PPP over the months and were equally swift to condemn fraudulent acts by the GECOM CEO and District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, Ali said that their work has not been in vain and it will be remembered.
“Today is about celebrating democracy. I cannot leave this podium without thanking our international partners, our regional partners and all the political parties and members of the Guyanese community who committed themselves for service to country. I assure you that Guyana is better because of your efforts. Today I take the oath of office because of the hard work of many individuals,” he said.
“There is a lot of work to be done and this work will start instantaneously,” he added.
