ONCE AGAIN, the people of Guyana are experiencing the trauma of post-election political disturbances and violence of an ethnic nature following the general election a week ago. And once again the main opposition People's National Congress/Reform of former President Desmond Hoyte seems to be further eroding its own credibility by behaving as a poor loser in the face of overwhelming evidence that the March 19 election, won by the incumbent People's Progressive Party/Civic, was free and fair, as attested to by international, regional and local monitoring missions.
A combination of street protests and resorting to the court with an injunction to block incumbent President Bharrat Jagdeo from taking the oath to head a new administration, clearly follow the pattern that emerged after the PNC's defeat at the December 1997 election that led to the intervention by the Caribbean Community to broker a peace agreement. It was that agreement which resulted in last Monday's election since the PPP/Civic had conceded the reduction of two years off its original five-year term.
The Chief Justice, Desiree Bernard, who was faced with a similar PNC injunction, following the 1997 election, to prevent the swearing-in of Mrs Janet Jagan as President, and who dismissed the petition, will resume hearing of the matter in the High Court in Georgetown today.
A most disturbing development this time around is the physical attack by a group of PNC supporters at the party's headquarters on Friday night on Dr Haslyn Parris, a former Deputy Prime Minister and high-profile leading adviser to both the late President Forbes Burnham and also Mr Hoyte. As one of the three PNC representatives on the Guyana Elections Commission, Parris had earlier boldly declared at a media briefing that the electoral process was "transparent and clean" and that "there is nothing to suggest that the result announced is not an accurate account of the votes cast...."
For this, he was set upon and his car was also damaged.
The question is whether after the expected swearing-in of Jagdeo to continue as President, there will be sufficient remorse to influence an end to street protests and violence and let constructive dialogue begin for a process of national healing. The political/racial divisions of Guyana remain a challenge to be met by the political parties and civil society in Guyana.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
