Elections Day announcement elicits mixed reaction from man-in-the-street
AN end to the current political impasse that has gripped Guyana for the last three years is finally in sight, following President Donald Ramotar’s much-anticipated announcement, on Tuesday, of a date for General and Regional Elections: May 11.Several Guyanese yesterday shared their views with the Guyana Chronicle on the President’s announcement, and their expectations during the period of the hustings.
ANNESH SHIVSARRAN said: “I’m happy that we got a date so that we can move forward, and all that is going on can come to an end. It’s just that elections time is a whole different time right now; you have to know what you’re doing, because of a possible increase in the crime rate and so on. I’m hoping that the PPP can pull it off this time again, and that we can move forward for the betterment of the country. I hope that it will be a smooth election, and that everything will go comfortably.”
ANNESH SHIVSARRAN
KEVIN CHATTERGOON, a self-employed auto mechanic said: “You know how many people I know who couldn’t own a tyre much less a car long ago? And today they driving car. All they saying is Jagdeo thiefin’ and duh one thiefin’. But when you watch the progress, they ain’t saying we get a nice bridge, or a nice hospital, or we get this school built; they ain’t talking about that. So, the Opposition Party is a waste of time.”
KEVIN CHATTERGOON
MARK, a part-time taxi driver and University of Guyana student, shared his view: “Well, I have no problem with the date. And when it comes to election, with all the stuff that’s going on with all the pulling and tugging between the government and the opposition, I think we need an election at this time. I hope it goes smoothly, and that we have a fair election… When citizens feel as though the elections weren’t fair, that’s when the problems happen; but if everything goes smoothly, then we shouldn’t have any problems, irrespective of who wins the election.”
GITTENS, a driver on the Route 44 bus park said: “The first thing, they announce is that they will say the date early, and almost throw people off track. And now if CSEC examination gotta write like that, then all that will be confusion too. But it’s nice to know that we got a date; and on that day now, all of us will put our minds to the task… We need a leader who will look out for everybody; whether he comes from the north or the south, east or west, we will be satisfied with a leader who we can trust and not a follower. But I am afraid that we might end up in the same thing again after the elections; with a PPP minority. I getting old in this country, and what I want now is a leader, whether he white or blue, that I know watching my back and the whole country back.”
Another driver, JAMAL, said: “The date is a good date for the elections… but I mean, whoever win, they have to go in and do the right thing, like build the roads and them things, and not look after ‘Prado Scheme’. They have to realise they have work to do on the streets, and that poor people got to live. Because, every time you turn the newspaper, you see they building hotels; but what happen to the roads? I hope the elections will be soft; people seeing the good things happening, but the only thing they ain’t focusing on is building the roads; and it too corrupted at times.”
Gittens
A senior citizen, known only as JEFFERY, said: “I think the election is needed, and that only that can solve this problem. Let it be! Because the government is not functioning properly, and I would like to see the Government and the Opposition working together for the benefit of the country. They need the election now, else the problem is going to get worse and worse. Who knows! The election might very well solve it!”
Jeffery
FRANK, a security guard, expressed his views: “Well, since Burnham dead, I never vote again… Remember, we poor! So everybody is for themselves. It doesn’t matter who goes into power, whether PPP, PNC, APNU, WPA, it remains the same. But for this government that is in power now, I see a lot of changes. Yes! Even though I ain’t vote! Is good it [the elections] come at that time… plan at the right time. But it still lil upset for the CXC children. If this elections didn’t come up, we cyan have progress; and we all know that, because the Opposition is the people who keeping us back. Once the government get the majority, we gon see forward movement again.”
A vendor at the Stabroek Market, Amica, had this to say: “I think since the year start and the President already prorogued parliament and they said we would get an early elections, we should have had elections earlier; before May. May is too late. This one look like it get a lot of corruption though, because it’s a lot of things going on. I hope it goes smoothly; but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
The last time General and Regional Elections were held was back in November 2011.
Frank
