What if I told you that Guyana's elections 2020 were not rigged but that the proceedings for the last 153 days were charged to the country as the price of doing business? Guyana's Elections 2020: The 153-Days Saga, covers the intrigue of the pre-election manipulation strategies and the post-elections shenanigans which resulted in the delays of results for 153 days. Elections were held on March 2, 2020 but results emerged on August 2, 2020. It records the actual sentiments of casual observers, the average Guyanese voters, and the members of the international communities during Elections 2020 in Guyana. The initial chapters cover Guyana's geo-political importance as a new entry to the Oil and Gas sector, the tainted electoral authority, and the undiscriminating, corrupt Security Forces. The book reminds the Guyanese and the international community of the pressure placed on the judicial system to perform at maximum capacity. It zooms in on the behaviour of Mr. Clairmont Mingo a Returning Officer who was the chief tactician of the transparent, electoral manipulations and on the APNU+AFC protagonists. Details of the daily inconsistencies in the tabulation of votes for the Region Four voting district along with the transparent attempt to steal an election under the noses of local and international Observers are recorded in a lighthearted manner and should not detract from the intensity of the emotions which flowed during this period nor the pain that was caused to families on both sides of the racial divide. It is filled with facts supported by video transcripts and personal testimonies.
Such a book could not be written unless a chapter was dedicated to the influence of the ubiquitous social media platforms as they impacted the anxieties of citizens, real and imagined, exacerbating the racial tensions that have fractured the society along ethnic fault lines. Filter bubbles fueled the combustible situation. It highlights the critical role of the International and local elections Observers, the transformational insights of the Caribbean Regional Integration Movement (CARICOM) and the duplicitous nature of the USA's intervention.
Guyana is not alone in the creation of this dark, political narrative of a flawed democracy. Comparisons are hinted about the elections of the United States of America which demonstrated similar traits in 2020 with all the trimmings of violent protests, frivolous lawsuits, and racial tensions.
