The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) believes the results of the just concluded Local Government Election has demonstrated that the party continues to be a “formidable political force in Guyana.”
The opposition party today in a media statement said “despite the unwarranted attacks and falsehoods leveled against the Party before and after the May 2015 elections the Party continues to enjoy the confidence and support of the broad masses of the Guyanese working people.”
It claimed that the results clearly demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of electors cast the punishment vote against the APNU+AFC, expressing their dissatisfaction with the “broken promises and vindictive policies” that have brought about untold sufferings on the working man and woman.
“By the use of ballot, the electors rebuffed Granger’s call for total control by the APNU+AFC coalition administration of Central Government, Parliament and Local Government,” PPP said.
The opposition claimed that “in those Local Authority Areas where the APNU+AFC claimed they “won” the Party reiterates the view that the blatant and scandalous vote-buying efforts through the distribution of G’s 3Bs coupled with the shameless and barefaced abuse of state resources by the APNU+AFC was substituted for serious political work and as social bribes as a means to achieve these phyrric electoral victories.”
In relation to the low voter turnout , the PPP said the blame game that has erupted between the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom), the Ministry of Communities, the Ministry of the Presidency, and the Private Sector Commission and some of the “phony” NGO’s set up by the APNU+AFC “is a zero-sum game and will get us nowhere.” It called on the guilty parties to take responsibility and fix the problem to make sure it never happens again.
The party continues by highlighting that the media must also assume some responsibility; claiming that “instead of providing information and guidelines as a public service, sections of the print and electronic media chose to use the local government elections as a political football to reflect their political preferences.”
“Moreover, the suspicious and dubious “Vote Like A Boss” non-entity having pumped millions of foreign donors’ money into daily adverts in the print media failed to attract the interest of the electorate with their uninspiring and ineffectual ads,” it added.
The PPP pointed out that in the past the Alliance For Change (AFC) had managed to win some votes on the Corentyne in East Berbice and West Coast Berbice, however it contended that the local government election results show that the “AFC has been completely demolished.”
The party is maintaining that it was cheated of votes at the May 2015 elections, noting that “the protest against Surujbally will continue. He has not been exonerated in anyway whatsoever. We have always maintained that our focus was on the electoral process, procedures and Gecom’s ability to conduct and supervise free and fair elections and not on personalities.”
The PPP is yet to determine if the LGE was free and fair, a decision which it said will be based on a close examination of reports brought in by its polling agents and the collective analysis of the PPP Commissioners.
It is also alleging that “we have received reports of Nagamootoo and several other Ministers and government officials entering polling stations and questioning Gecom officials contrary to the rules laid down by Gecom. What was the purpose of these visits and what was told to the Gecom officials we are yet to learn.”
