Georgetown: Underscoring attacks on the international community by the APNU/AFC coalition, Former Attorney General and PPP representative Anil Nandlall on Thursday said the government seems to be picking a fight with the entire world.
Over 130 countries including the US, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union, CARICOM, Commonwealth, Norway amongst others have criticized what they deem as electoral fraud in Guyana.
Nandlall was at the time making reference to several international organisations, countries and observers that have condemned attempts at electoral fraud while calling for the restoration of credibility through the current ongoing recount process.
Nandlall said he could not understand why the government appeared easily offended by anyone who criticizes the electoral process.
“All they are saying is that he elections results of tabulation done in Region #4 was a farce and a fraud and that is the truth,” he noted.
He said the government is behaving like someone with their back against the wall.
The APNU/AFC coalition has criticized the former Head of the Organization of the American States (OAS) electoral mission to Guyana Bruce Golding statements on the elections.
Golding pointed to fraud committed in the tabulation of District Four results by Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo in favour of the APNU+AFC.
“I have never seen a more transparent attempt to alter the results of an elections,” Golden said.
Nandlall said Golding is an internationally recognised statesman who was chosen by the OAS because of his integrity.
“Golding was chosen by a prestigious organization like the OAS. They chose Mr. Golding because of his standing and his integrity. Golding said what he observed, that he headed an observation team that was in Ashmins (Building) when fraud was perpetuated,” Nandlall added.
He said Golding, and the OAS by extension, has a duty to report what they observed and it would have in turn been a dereliction of duty had they kept quiet.
“It is not secret that fraud was perpetuated. I witnessed it and dozens of people witnessed it. It was done in a glass room and who were not in the room could have seen it from outside. So I don’t know why the government is offended by what Golding said,” he told reporters outside the Arthur Chung Conference Center.
Nandlall said it is not about supporting the PPP and he would not think that those commenting on the process would put their own integrity and that of the organisations they represent at stake because of their support for the PPP.
In his YouTube comments, Golding provided further content, stemming from the mission’s experience of the tabulation for the Hadfield Street declaration of March 5, 2020, as well as the Kingston declaration of March 13, 2020.
He noted the use of a spreadsheet at Hadfield Street, which contained numbers that no one could account for, as the law requires that the entitled officials are to observe the transcription of the numbers from the statements of poll. Then, of the Kingston matter, Golding said the following.
“In ballot box 4062, the statement of poll had indicated 182 votes for APNU and 43 for PPP/C the returning officer reported those results as 292 votes for APNU and 33 votes for PPP.”
When that box was recounted, the numbers were 182 for APNU and 43 for PPP, the exact figures that appeared on the Statements of Poll.
“Let me give you another example. Box 4063,” he said.
“The statements of poll issued on elections night recorded 15 votes for APNU and 276 votes for PPP. The RO declared the results as 85 votes for APNU and 246 votes for the PPP. When that box was recently recounted, the numbers were 15 votes for APNU and 276 votes for PPP, exactly how it appeared on the statements of poll.”
Then, Golding said “Box 4064. Statement of Poll issued elections night, 70 votes for APNU, 93 votes for PPP. The RO declared that result as 170 votes for APNU, 100 more, 73 votes for PPP, 20 less. When the box was recounted, the box showed 71 votes for APNU, 96 votes for PPP.”
The one additional vote for APNU+AFC and the three additional votes for the PPP, he explained, were due to the decision by GECOM to consider certain rejected votes as valid, once the intention of the voter is clear.
“And finally, box 4074. Statement of Poll show 86 votes for APNU and 84 votes for PPP. The RO declared the results as 104 votes for APNU, 64 votes for PPP. When the box was recounted, 86 votes for APNU, 84 votes for PPP, exactly as the original Statement of Poll has shown.”
Describing the matter further, Golding said, “You know it takes an extraordinarily courageous mind to present fictitious numbers when such a sturdy paper trail exists. And this is being illustrated now as the recount proceeds.”
The paper trail he refers to, are the Statements of Poll in possession of the political parties, as well as the Statements of Recount, which are now being produced during the recount.
His statements are in line with statements made by eight political parties that, on the night of March 13 2020, Mingo presented clumsily doctored Statements of Poll, which clearly were so done to fraudulently favour APNU+AFC.
He continued that up to yesterday, 81 boxes were recounted for Region Four, and in just 20 of those boxes, APNU+AFC got a decrease in votes of 1,536, from the numbers presented by Clairmont Mingo; and the votes for the PPP increased by 177.
Wednesday night, APNU+AFC executive Joseph Harmon put out a statement calling the statement made by Golding, “wholly partisan and unbiased”.
Therefore, the party concluded that Golding’s words lack credibility. Harmon further stated that Golding is a close friend of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.
Harmon did not respond to the contents of Golding’s statement, nor did he respond to the verifiable evidence which has surfaced over the past few days of Mingo’s tabulation being inflated in favour of the Coalition.
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