It seems that the agents of APNU+AFC at the national recount of votes – a number of de facto ministers among them – have taken the opportunity of entering the manufacturing sector and not in a good way. Their manufactured claims that there were numerous discrepancies and fraud at the March 2nd general elections run counter to all independent analyses of voting day and constitute a slur on hundreds of GECOM staff who discharged their duties professionally. That APNU+AFC has had to resort to these concoctions must be the evidence that the end game in the blatant attempt to rig the 2020 general elections is bearing down on the country. The conclusion of the recount of votes will allow a final declaration of results after the unconscionable delay that the country has had to endure even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the decline of the economy and severe financial pain to households.
The recent flurry of mind-boggling claims from APNU+AFC operatives that run the whole gamut are akin to a bus load of eager tourists flocking a casino in the hopes of a quick fortune. Anything goes and any absurd claim can be presented as pointed out in yesterday’s editorial. In the main, the latest APNU+AFC allegations about dead people voting – they really mean someone had voted in the place of a dead person – and persons overseas being marked as having voted, constitute claims of multiple voting.
They are suggesting that a voter voted for himself or herself and then returned to a polling station and cast a second ballot for the dead or migrated. This is preposterous given the various safeguards in place and which have worked well since 1992. The prospective multiple voter would be stopped immediately in his/her tracks right at the door of the polling station at the point at which the clerk calls out the name of the voter. Polling day staff and party agents would have satisfied themselves that this person did not look like the person in whose name they were intending to vote and the police would be immediately called. Given the vociferousness of the coalition at this moment with all types of claims, is it plausible that APNU+AFC agents would fail to see attempts at multiple voting on March 2nd and not expose them? Even if the intended multiple voter got past the identification hurdle – and there was no report of this from any of the 2,339 polling stations – they still would have had to have shown the Presiding Officer that their index finger was free of indelible ink. Again, is it possible that trained GECOM staff and antsy polling agents would ignore this in either a sleep fest or a grand conspiracy? It is risible and calls into question the integrity of those pandering to these foolish claims all in the hope of clinging illegally to power.
It is time to ignore the senseless cacophony from the APNU+AFC agents and focus on two key commitments in moving forward. The first of these are the repeated declarations by caretaker President David Granger – restated again yesterday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre – that he will abide by the final GECOM declaration and ostensibly the recount. Mr Granger stands accused of having waited patiently to be sworn-in on the basis of the discredited District Four count produced by its Returning Officer. He subsequently agreed to a recount of all 10 districts and he will be held to his word that the GECOM result will be accepted by him. To give full meaning to this commitment, he must do whatever is necessary to aid the swift completion of the recount and to ensure that it is protected from any nefarious acts to shut it down.
The second point of focus is the commitment of GECOM Chair, Justice of Appeal (Ret’d) Claudette Singh in the court of Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George to undertake the recount of votes for District Four which recount was later employed for the entire country. Slow progress has so far been made in the recount and Ms Singh herself must also be seized by the importance of concluding the process swiftly and ensuring that there are no threats to the recount. She should continue to press for additional work stations to expedite the recount.
While all of the country is being recounted, it is clear to all involved that it is the final tally for District Four which will be the electoral cinch. The first count for District Four was vitiated by Chief Justice George on the grounds that Mr Mingo did not comply with the law. His second “declaration” was similarly contaminated – is the subject of contempt of court proceedings – and cannot possibly be considered as a lawful declaration. It had also not been approved by GECOM. It therefore cannot stand and must be considered to be discarded because of the illegality on which it was founded. The recount for District Four will therefore be the tally that stands.
President Granger’s declaration yesterday leaves the onus of protecting electoral democracy squarely in the hands of the GECOM Chair. She must do her utmost to ensure the rapid and fully observed recount of all the districts. As to the claims by the coalition, she would be well aware that their outlandish allegations cannot in any way demolish the properly concluded processes in each polling station attested to by all those who signed Statements of Poll on the night of March 2nd, prominent among which were APNU+AFC agents.
