Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. on Thursday testified that a desire to “protect our democracy” and a fear of the consequences of electoral fraud drove him to persist despite failed attempts to deliver a request for a recount of the 2020 Region Four election results after Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo made a suspicious and premature declaration using figures later found to be inaccurate.
Ramson was at the time giving testimony when proceedings in the elections fraud case continued before Magistrate Faith McGusty in the Georgetown Magistrate’s court. During his testimony, Ramson recounted his experience participating in the Region Four vote tabulation process from March 2 to 6, 2020, at the Ashmin’s Building in Georgetown. He stated that on March 5, after Mingo declared results later deemed fraudulent, he spent at least an hour attempting to deliver a recount request to either Mingo or Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh.
“We have to protect our democracy,” Ramson noted when questioned by the prosecution on why he continuously tried to deliver the recount request letter despite being unable to reach anyone.
“Our country should never face the hardship that comes with having rigged elections and an unelected government. I’ve seen across the world how that [has caused] damage in many countries. I also saw how it damaged us [Guyanese] in the period in the late 80s when I grew up. I saw that there is a direct correlation between having an unelected government through a rigged election and the fortunes and the well-being of the country. I also had some experiences in 2015 and I know that I didn’t want to see that happen for us as a country.”
Mingo is among nine individuals currently facing 19 charges of conspiracy to commit electoral fraud for the events that occurred following the March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections (GRE). They are accused of attempting to tamper with the results to tip the elections in favour of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) political party, while also decreasing votes to the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC). Following a 5 month long delay and a recount process the PPPC were later found to be the winner of the elections.
In 2020, Ramson was a candidate and election agent for the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC). An attorney by profession, Ramson noted that being aware of the statutory time limit to delivering a written request of recount by noon of the day following a declaration, immediately following the declaration he sought to deliver a recount request letter to Mingo.
However he found nothing but locked doors on the second floor rooms which were being used as GECOM offices at Ashmin’s Building, which was the GECOM Command Centre at the time.
Ramson recalled continuously knocking on several of the doors in 15 minutes increments.
“I proceeded up the stairs to deliver that letter, but the offices were locked… I was unsuccessful because the offices were closed. All of the doors on that second floor, the handles were removed from the outside, so no one could actually turn the handles,” Ramson explained.
Notwithstanding the locked doors he continued to wait.
“I waited [even] after I was unsuccessful. I waited for at least an hour. I was rapping on the doors in approximately 15 minute intervals, where I would just do an entire circle of every door. In between [the doors] there was a section with glass… I rapped on the glass and I rapped on the doors, just hoping that somebody would receive my letter to receive a recount,” Ramson noted.
Ramson testified to spending most of his time from March 2 – 5 at the Ashmin’s Building, outside of only leaving the premises to go home to take a short nap and shower. Prior to trying to serve Mingo with a Request for Recount, he remembered objecting to the declaration even as it was being made by Mingo, particularly because the declaration could not legally be done without completion of the verification of the Statement of Polls (SOPs) from the various polling stations.
“I know that the verification exercise was not completed and I know that the law said that it was required to be done, and ascertained based on the Statement of Polls. So if that had not been done then a declaration cannot be made,” Ramson noted.
Ramson recalled that as Mingo made the declarations, persons could be heard exclaiming phrases including “No!”, “Stop it!”, and “You are trying to steal the elections!”.
Ramson noted that persons he observed at the Command Centre during his time there included representatives of the various contesting political parties, observers, and several members of the diplomatic corps including the then US Ambassador, as well as the Canadian, British and EU High Commissioners. Ramson said following the declaration he did not see Mingo again until later that evening when Mingo was escorted out of the building under police guard.
According to Ramson, he later encountered the then Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Roxanne Myers, who facilitated his handing over of the letter to Mingo’s clerk, Michelle Miller. Miller is also a co-accused in the current matter.
Under cross examination, Ramson acknowledged that he is a colleague of a family member of Miller’s but denied that he ever contacted Miller directly via telephone and implored her to cooperate with the police.
Ramson also testified that he later recounted his involvement in the events to police on August 28, 2020, in the presence of Mingo, during an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Ramson was cross examined by attorneys for the defence Nigel Hughes, and Eusi Anderson, while the other defence attorneys declined cross examination. He was dismissed after his testimony concluded. With Ramson being the only witness giving testimony for the day, the proceedings were adjourned following Ramson’s testimony and is set to re-commence at 09.30hrs today.
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