Call for election observers is not hysteria

THE EDITOR: Based on the ongoing situation in Guyana, I think the leader of the UNC was right to issue her call for election observers to ensure the rule of law and the independent constitutional ideals, by which we operate, are upheld.

Our citizens must recall the idea of having election observers is not a new one as in 2015, the then Peoples Partnership government invited CARICOM to deploy a mission to observe general elections. A team headed by Orrette Fisher, Director of the Electoral Office of Jamaica was subsequently deployed.

Another observer team constituted by then Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma also visited TT for the 2015 general election. A Commonwealth observer team was also here for the 2000 general election.

While I saw some describe the UNC leader's statements as "election hysteria," the presence of these two teams in 2015 through the invitation of the PP government did not reflect any form of hysteria, but rather a common electioneering practice within countries of the Commonwealth.

The ongoing situation in Guyana not only highlights the need for observers in any election but show the extent to which these teams can provide balanced clarity within times of misunderstanding, as was the case with the team led by former Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur.

However, I think it may be even a tad harsh to accuse frontline members of the UNC of being involved in the partisan politics of Guyana. The only person we saw giving any affinity to the intricate events there was Ganga Singh, who besides not being a frontline member, said he is not going back up for election due to differences with the UNC leader.

Surely any involvement by him in the Guyana issue was on his own accord and does not reflect any party directive, party position or support by the UNC.

While we have always had free and fair elections we must never forget the High Court's August 2016 ruling on the 2015 election that the EBC did overstep its statutory remit by extending the hours of voting.

As a population, we must be on our guard to ensure that these errors are not repeated, exaggerated, extended or even blossom into matters which could significantly harm our democratic process in the future by the acts of any stakeholder or relative institution.

ROBERTA JAMES

Arima