Skip to main content

FM
Former Member

Court-ordered recount was done quickly in Jamaica but not in Guyana

Dear Editor,
It can never be understood why counting and certifying ballots take several days in Guyana when other countries declare their winner the same evening or why the court takes almost forever to ad-dress an election petition in Guyana.
Jamaica, St Vincent, Trinidad, etc all held elections in recent months and the winner was known the same evening. In Guyana, the outcome is always contentious. Election petitions in those territories are also quickly disposed of, often changing the outcome of an election.
In Guyana, the defeated PPP/C filed an election petition (to force a recount or) to vitiate the results of last May’s General Elections. Some nine months later, the matter is yet to be determined. Jamaica held elections on February 25. Ballots were counted and a winner (JLP) declared that very evening (33 seats for opposition JLP and 30 for incumbent PNP). There was a request for a recount of ballot boxes in some constituencies. The Jamaica Election Commission (JEC) opted to recount all ballots of all 63 seats and it was done in less than two days although Jamaica had almost three times the number of electors as Guyana.
In Guyana, it took some four days to count and certify the ballots. There was a PPP/C request for a re-count of ballots before the official declaration of the outcome. Gecom initially agreed and then decid-ed against a recount on the objection of the Ambassadors of the ABC countries; while they object to recounts in Guyana, electoral recounts are routine in UK, US and Canada.
The PPP/C then requested a recount of some ballot boxes in Georgetown and in the region where it lost a seat by one vote and where there were some 50 spoilt votes all in favour of PPP/C as per voter intention. PPP/C stated it would abide by the recount numbers. Gecom agreed and then decided against a recount (at the objection of the ABC countries?). An official winner (APNU+AFC) was de-clared (33-32).
In Jamaica, a candidate sought court intervention for another count. A magisterial recount was held within days, reversing the official outcome. Initially, JEC officially stated JLP won a seat by 137 votes. On the recount that was ordered by the magistrate court, the PNP won by nine votes.
That is the final outcome and the final result is 32-31 in favour of JLP (Incidentally 32 seats are needed for government formation and so the government is barely surviving). While the recount was being done, there was an atmosphere of calm; Jamaicans went about their business and daily routine nor-mally. The same was not the case in Guyana where the atmosphere was very tense and shops shut-tered for a week.
So a count and a recount of ballots can be done and it affected the outcome. It was carried out in a fel-low Caricom nation. It is noted that the Jamaica Election Commission did a recount of all ballots to satis-fy the public interest as well as the parties. Not satisfied, the losing candidates had the option of going to the court to address any discrepancy. The court intervened within days and ordered a recount in one seat.
It is inexplicable why Gecom could not mount a similar recount as in Jamaica to satisfy the public inter-est (amidst all the allegations and counter allegations of improprieties) or why the court is taking so long to determine a simple electoral matter.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Vish M posted:

Mr Bisram is on point

There is widespread belief that there was some rigging and manipulation taking place. A simple recount would have put this suspicion to rest.

The suspicion is growing too that the govt will continue to rig future elections.   

V

Jamaica did a quick count.  The results were available 3 hours after the voting ended.

Guyana didn't release official results for at least 3 days.  The PPP had ample opportunity within the counting process to uncover discrepancies.

No comparison. In fact I don't know of any country in the Americas, where it takes 3 days for election results to be announced!  Even Haiti does a better job.

FM
caribny posted:

Jamaica did a quick count.  The results were available 3 hours after the voting ended.

Guyana didn't release official results for at least 3 days.  The PPP had ample opportunity within the counting process to uncover discrepancies.

No comparison. In fact I don't know of any country in the Americas, where it takes 3 days for election results to be announced!  Even Haiti does a better job.

You are condoning rigging and fraud. Is it because you are pro PNC?

FM
VishMahabir posted:
Vish M posted:

Mr Bisram is on point

There is widespread belief that there was some rigging and manipulation taking place. A simple recount would have put this suspicion to rest.

The suspicion is growing too that the govt will continue to rig future elections.   

So when the PNC was complaining about rigging in prior elections when they didn't like the results, why didn't the PPP recount?

It took 3 days to release the official results, even though the unofficial results were known by next morning.

The PPP needs to provide evidence that there was rigging. Not liking the result isn't a valid reason!

Given the racial polarization we know that its Indians who have a conspiracy theory about 2015, just as it was Africans who had that belief when the PPP won.  

In fact in Region 1 the PPP usually wins 70% of votes in the national, but yet in the LGE they lost quite a few seats in Mabaruma and elsewhere. That certainly gives credence to suspicions that the PPP rigs massively in that region, because the opposition parties traditionally lacked the manpower to cover the polling stations.

BTW the notion that a gov't is in power, and yet can allow an opposition party to rig flies in the face of credulity. If APNU wanted to rig, why didn't they do so with the LGE, when they had the means to do so, knowing full well that the PPP would use it as a referendum!

You know full well that had the PPP won, they would be screaming that the ABC nations deemed the 2015 elections free and fair, and so didn't see the need for a recount.

The PPP needs to admit that its "coolie people party" campaign strategy, and its OPEN demonization of blacks, which occurred in the last election, FAILED. With a declining Indo population, the notion that the PPP can win using this approach is quite silly.

FM

Also that they had Kwame, Joe Hamilton and the other ex Burnham thugs running all around G/town trying to instigate riots, to force a cancelation of the election.

This because the massive turn out of the youth vote in PNC strongholds terrified them.

The PPP was highly distraught that they couldn't broadcast scenes of Indians getting attacked by angry blacks in G/town.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Vishnu Bisram now claiming:
Gecom initially agreed and then decid-ed against a recount on the objection of the Ambassadors of the ABC countries
Vish M posted:

Mr Bisram is on point

CaribJ posted:

In fact in Region 1 the PPP usually wins 70% of votes in the national, but yet in the LGE they lost quite a few seats in Mabaruma and elsewhere. That certainly gives credence to suspicions that the PPP rigs massively in that region, because the opposition parties traditionally lacked the manpower to cover the polling stations.

BTW the notion that a gov't is in power, and yet can allow an opposition party to rig flies in the face of credulity. If APNU wanted to rig, why didn't they do so with the LGE, when they had the means to do so, knowing full well that the PPP would use it as a referendum!

You know full well that had the PPP won, they would be screaming that the ABC nations deemed the 2015 elections free and fair, and so didn't see the need for a recount.

The PPP needs to admit that its "coolie people party" campaign strategy, and its OPEN demonization of blacks, which occurred in the last election, FAILED. With a declining Indo population, the notion that the PPP can win using this approach is quite silly.

FC Posted:

Right on. Not to forget it was the PPP who was trying to insert fake SOPs when they saw they were losing.

CaribJ posted:

Also that they had Kwame, Joe Hamilton and the other ex Burnham thugs running all around G/town trying to instigate riots, to force a cancelation of the election.

This because the massive turn out of the youth vote in PNC strongholds terrified them.

The PPP was highly distraught that they couldn't broadcast scenes of Indians getting attacked by angry blacks in G/town.

 

 

America, Britain & Canada never objected or told Gecom anything about not Recounting the votes.

 

Jagdeo, Vishnu Bisram and "De other PPP Funny Fellas"

still scratching.....

let us see what they come up with next.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
VishMahabir posted:
Vish M posted:

Mr Bisram is on point

The suspicion is growing too that the govt will continue to rig future elections.   

The PPP was in government at the time, so any suspicions that the election was rigged by the government should instead be addressed to the PPP, who are now in opposition.

Mr.T
Mr.T posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Vish M posted:

Mr Bisram is on point

The suspicion is growing too that the govt will continue to rig future elections.   

The PPP was in government at the time, so any suspicions that the election was rigged by the government should instead be addressed to the PPP, who are now in opposition.

Tell them Mr.T no doubt about that,the Klan can't face the reality.

Django

"BTW the notion that a gov't is in power, and yet can allow an opposition party to rig flies in the face of credulity. If APNU wanted to rig, why didn't they do so with the LGE, when they had the means to do so, knowing full well that the PPP would use it as a referendum!"

 

Any vote fixing would have been done by the party in power (PPP). They obviously tried to rig but those voting against them outnumbered the fake SOPs

cain
Django posted:
Mr.T posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Vish M posted:

Mr Bisram is on point

The suspicion is growing too that the govt will continue to rig future elections.   

The PPP was in government at the time, so any suspicions that the election was rigged by the government should instead be addressed to the PPP, who are now in opposition.

Tell them Mr.T no doubt about that,the Klan can't face the reality.

Django, you are losing it.

FM
skeldon_man posted:
caribny posted:

Jamaica did a quick count.  The results were available 3 hours after the voting ended.

Guyana didn't release official results for at least 3 days.  The PPP had ample opportunity within the counting process to uncover discrepancies.

No comparison. In fact I don't know of any country in the Americas, where it takes 3 days for election results to be announced!  Even Haiti does a better job.

You are condoning rigging and fraud. Is it because you are pro PNC?

Not only a Pro PNC but a Racist Black Nationalist.

FM

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×