Ralph Ramkarran

At the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Friday last, President Irfaan Ali said: “The Republic of Guyana has just emerged from a bruising test of its democracy.

The Berbice Slave Rebellion, which began on February 23, 1763, is a seminal event in Guyanese history, commemorated by Guyana’s most famous work of sculpture at the south eastern entrance to the Georgetown city centre.

The Opposition’s theory in relation to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Guyana, appeared to be that the US could or may be contemplating an invasion of, or some sort of intervention in, Venezuela and that if Guyana were to get involved, it would somehow jeopardize Guyana’s current case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Violence at elections time or immediately thereafter in Guyana, though devastatingly painful, particularly to the victims, is nothing unusual.

In a statement last week, the WPA accused the new PPP government, in office for only a month, of already creating a criminal state, establishing racial insecurity and animosity, dismissing “hundreds” of Afro-Guyanese, winking at Indian Guyanese men beating women and children in the public square and seeking sexual favours.

According to media reports, if accurate, the election petition to be filed on behalf of APNU+AFC alleges that the elections were fraudulent and seeks an order that new elections be held or that Mr.

Like everything else, political parties undergo change and renewal. The reasons, circumstances and methods of change are of infinite range.

There is no doubt that the core aspects of Guyana’s foreign policy will remain unchanged, save for a few new challenges.

I congratulate the PPP/C on its electoral victory and Dr. Irfaan Ali on his inauguration as the President of Guyana.

Slavery of African people in the era of colonialism was the worst and most enduring holocaust in recorded human history.

There can be no doubt that with the end of the road approaching, the APNU+AFC coalition is in a mess.

Guyana has achieved the dubious distinction of taking the longest time to announce election results and of having the largest number of court cases concerning elections between the commencement of the voting and the declaration.

By the time this column appears today, the issue of Mr Keith Lowenfield’s report to the Guyana Elections Commission would have been determined.

President Granger’s undertaking to accept the declaration of the election results by GECOM leaves Guyana with the hopeful expectation that the election ‘torment’ will soon be over.

Over the past few days, Barbados Prime Minister and Chair of Caricom Mia Mottley accused Keith Lowenfield, our Chief Election Officer, of “gamesmanship.”

APNU will not succeed in its efforts to reverse the results of the recount; and shared governance will not be achieved by the light touch of a Madame Chancellor/President or on the rubble of burnt out ballot boxes.

Guyana, and indeed the world, has moved on in significant ways since June 13, 1980, when Walter Rodney was assassinated.

The recount winds down amidst the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Walter Rodney, one of Guyana’s most prominent and courageous fighters for democracy and free and fair elections.

Cynicism in relation to elections in Guyana did not begin with the debate as to whether the majority of 65 is 33 or 34 in relation to the no confidence motion passed against the APNU+AFC Government by the National Assembly on December 21, 2018.

While the political atmosphere is still heavily laden with gloom, it was somewhat lifted by President Granger’s statement last week that the Government will accept ‘any declaration’ made by GECOM pursuant to the recount.