After the election battle, Guyana declares a winner

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

“We are in this together. We are not separated by class, by ethnicity, by religion, nor by politics, we are united in the true Guyanese spirit.”

President of Guyana Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali

“I want to assure you, that I would uphold that oath. I will work every day in the best interest of the people of Guyana. There is only one future and that future requires a united Guyana. That future requires a strong Guyana. That future requires every Guyanese to play a part in building our country, ensuring we leave a better Guyana for the next generation.”

Ali was sworn in on August 2^nd, when GECOM ruled in the PPP’s favor. He seemed very positive as he delivered his speech of nation-building and unity. This came five months after Guyana’s general election, which was held on March 2^nd, and was followed by numerous court challenges and a recount.

Ali who was born on April 25^th, 1980 (in Leonora, a village in the West Coast Demerara region of Guyana) holds a doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the West Indies, and once served as Project Manager of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Project Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Finance and Senior Planner in the State Planning Secretariat.

He became a member of Guyana’s national assembly in 2006 and was subsequently appointed to the portfolios of Minister of Housing and Water and Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce.

During his time as Minister, Ali performed the duties of President and Prime Minister on separate occasions. In 2015, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) went into opposition. During this time he served as chair of the Public Accounts Committee and co-chair the Economic Services Committee of the Parliament of Guyana.

Guyana’s outgoing former president David Granger has signaled his party’s intention to challenge the election’s results in court via an election petition, and said, that his coalition cannot indorse a flawed report.

Granger said that his coalition will campaign to make sure that the votes of all Guyanese are accurately recorded, tallied and reported on. He made it known that they will challenge the results lawfully, peacefully, and purposefully.

Granger recently issued a warning to the new ruling party over what he calls their dangerous pattern of aggression, namely government workers who were asked to resign, and others who were locked out of their offices,

In a public address, he said, “The People’s National Congress warns the PPP to desist from perusing this dangerous pattern of aggression against officials, members of society, and persons perceived to belong to other political parties.”

“PPP,” he said, “will bear responsibility for the consequences of its conduct.” Meanwhile, President Ali has ensured senior public servants that they have nothing to worry about and should continue to do their job professionally.

PPP’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira, said, that there is no witch-hunting taking place, but there is a need for those who were appointed because of their political allegiance to exit the system gracefully.

Teixeira, said, “I want to assure Guyanese that we are not here to take away food from people’s mouth. We are not here to take public servants who have been working hard in the system. We are not dealing with the public servants’ weather they are cooks or drivers, secretaries or clerks. If they are political appointees in the system as I have said, then we are asking them to resign, and if they do not, they will be getting letters of termination.”

Meanwhile, Granger asked his supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner and thanked the Guyanese people for their support and patience throughout the elections.