The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has called on President David Granger to grant the necessary permission for the international observers to enter Guyana for the national recount slated to commence on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
The union added if this is not done, the government should face consequences for their undemocratic actions.
Full statement:
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) remains simply appalled that the now de-facto Government of Guyana has not approved requests to allow representatives of the Carter Centre (CC) and the International Republic Institute (IRI)to participate in the soon to commence recount of ballots cast in the March 02, 2020 National and Regional Elections.
The inexplicable denial is yet only further confirmation that the governing Coalition clearly has something to hide. Certainly how else could one explain the refusal of having more eyes on the process?
The denial of permission, of course, comes against the backdrop of the APNU+AFC seeking just a few days ago the Elections Commission to consider preventing party representatives and other observers and officials from possessing their cellular phones during the recount. Apart from that, we have seen too their vehement opposition and the invocation of incredulous rationales regarding the live streaming of the recount. For a political grouping which has, on several occasions, pointed out that it emerged victorious, their actions hardly confirm their utterances. The Federation wishes to remind, in this regard, that actions speak louder than words.
We gather that the request for the observers’ presence has now been taken up at the highest levels. Presumably, we gather that to mean with President David Granger. It was the President himself who sought the recount ostensibly to clear up any doubt regarding the victor. Certainly, if the President were genuine, he would not hesitate in approving the request which were denied by his underlings. Understandably, any winner would want to demonstrate beyond any shadow of doubt that they fairly and credibly won an election. To do otherwise tells another story in itself.
We urge, even at this close to midnight hour, that the representatives of the CC and the IRI be allowed to travel to Guyana and to participate in the recount. Both organisations, incidentally, were invited by the Coalition to observe the elections in the first place and should not be shut out from this next stage in the ongoing electoral process. The entire episode clearly demonstrates that they were persons who do not mind Guyana been ostracized and being deemed a pariah state among the countries of the world.
Clearly, they do not have the well-being of our people and nation at heart but just a lust for power, privileges and perks. We in Guyana have seen the consequences of such actions in the past. We have collectively worked to erase the legacy of that sordid period of our history and we should not return to such an ignoble time every again. Our people now and in the future do not deserve nor desire such a reality.
We believe those who seek to foist such status on our people ought to be rightly identified and dealt with. They must know that their actions has consequences and they themselves should face the repercussions for those actions. We believe we have arrived at a fork in the road and we have a choice now to pull ourselves back from the precipice. The Federation holds that we should not allow a tiny cabal to ruin the exciting and bright prospects for our peoples who seek only betterment and advancement in their lives.
