Dear Editor,

A de facto minister of Guyana, Raphael Trotman, delivered vitriolic attacks against “small member states” of Caricom for their remarks calling for the declaration of election results as per the national recount of votes and the ruling of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice.

In media reports, Trotman told the governments to mind their own business and allow Guyana to solve what he refers to as “a constitutional crisis”. Trotman said: “The political situation in Guyana is Guyana’s problem.”

Yet, it was de facto president, David Granger, who called on Prime Minister Mia Mottley and other Caricom leaders to visit Guyana on March 13 to help bring about a solution to publicly exposed electoral fraud. Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur reported he observed efforts to rig the vote count in public view. Guyana’s Government asked for Caricom intervention.

Contrary to Trotman, Guyana does not have a constitutional crisis. It has an election declaration crisis in which the Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield has refused to follow the directives of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) to prepare the final results of the recount as the basis for a declaration. On three occasions, the chief election officer defied the order submitting his own manufactured numbers that showed the incumbent won the elections. The recount showed the Opposition had won the elections by some 15,400 votes. Guyana has a PR system, as opposed to constituency-based, as existed in other Caricom states that would give it 33 seats in the 65-member Parliament.

Trotman’s position of Caricom is the complete opposite of de facto President Granger, who described Caricom “as Guyana’s most legitimate interlocutors”, although he has backtracked from that position after the recount showed that the Opposition won the elections. The vote recount was carried out by Caricom monitors who came from St Vincent, Barbados, and Antigua. The prime minister of Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines have been in the forefront calling for closure of the electoral process in Guyana. The president of the CCJ, Justice Saunders, who is from St Vincent, and other judges, unanimously ruled that GECOM must instruct Lowenfield to prepare a report based on the recount. The recount included a respected Barbadian academic, who said it reflected the will of the electorate. Lowenfield has refused to comply. He is a former army officer, several of whom served with Granger in the army and who hold important government positions, including judgeships.

The Granger Government has taken the position that GECOM must accept and declare the chief election officer’s report, irrespective whether it is fraudulent or not, because it is so stated in the constitution. It is preposterous of natural justice and the will of the electorate for an election officer to prepare any report he so wishes. While a commission can only declare the result based upon the report of the chief election officer, it must be an accurate reflection of the ballots cast not based on the whims and fancies of the chief election officer. The constitution specifically states that the chief election officer must prepare a report based on a count or a recount that replaces a count. To do otherwise violates a basic principle of electoral democracy.

Trotman’s statement derogating Caricom states smacks of arrogance. He forgets that hundreds of thousands of Guyanese find refuge in the small islands of the region, including Barbados, during the period of the ethnic dictatorship. It was from Caricom states that Guyanese were able to obtain basic foods, banned from Guyana and criminalised by the Burnham dictatorship, that were smuggled into Guyana using creative mechanisms. Even Trotman studied in a Caricom state; so many studied in Barbados. It is also pointed out that Trotman’s father, Donald, served in high office in two Caricom countries — St Vincent and Grenada — in judicial positions. His sister is currently part of the Government establishment in Grenada. Trotman’s father was persecuted by the Burnham’s dictatorship for condemning electoral fraud in Guyana. Trotman also held his second marriage celebrations in Grenada. Yet he has the gall to derogate small islanders.

Trotman is undoing what he and his father did decades ago. He is attempting to break the solidarity of Caricom people for democracy in Guyana. Trotman ought to apologise to the region and tell his colleagues to concede defeat.

Separately, the world has condemned attempts at electoral fraud in Guyana. The world, including the UN and Caricom secretaries general, has called for a declaration of the results based on the recount figures. GECOM must act accordingly, and President Granger must accept that outcome.

Dr Vishnu Bisram

Pollster and poll analyst

vishnupar@aol.com