Something wicked

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes” is the chilling line from a rhyming couplet by William Shakespeare in his famous play “Macbeth,” that we whispered to each other along lit school corridors.

While we used it to warn of the imminent arrival of a much disliked disciplinarian teacher or an obnoxious official, in the play it is uttered by the second of the three witches in Act Four, Scene One of the early 17thcentury tragedy, who also cackled, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”

Dramatising the negative effects of ruthless political ambition by those who seek power for its own sake, , “Macbeth” is named for the initially much admired and brave Scottish general who received a fateful prophecy from the trio of hags that one day he would become King of Scotland.

Unchecked by moral constraints, he descends into inevitable destruction, undone by his deadly desires and desperate deeds, as the troubled land and frightened people are beset by strange inversions of the natural order.

Reflecting the ancient belief that sudden body pains and tingles were signs of events to come, the popular quotation forewarns us to be always prepared in modern culture and national politics, whether for the wicked or the unexpected.

So too the ears of Guyana’s beleaguered Elections Commission Chairman, (GECOM) Retired Justice Claudette Singh must be quite red, hot and ringing incessantly, given the latest uproar over her actions, this time by writing at least one letter to the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO) on allegations of illicit voting made by the incumbent President David Granger’s A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) governing coalition dominated by the People’s National Congress (PNC).

It was bizarre enough that Justice Singh did not see it fit to take such similar prompt action given Mr Mingo’s magic machinations and meddling, but she expressed concern on June 1 over a ‘fake’ letter purporting to withdraw the correspondence to the Police Commissioner on May 22.

“The document which is being circulated on social media is bogus and tantamount to forgery since the use of the Chairperson’s letterhead, signature and office stamp may have been copied from another letter and used by the author. The fake letter appears to be designed to create misinformation, mischief and cause confusion in an already politically charged environment. The Chairperson is therefore urging persons to be tolerant in the tense atmosphere and desist from such unlawful and mischievous actions,” a GECOM press statement said.

Opposition parties including the main People’s Progressive Party (PPP) criticised Justice Singh’s “genuine letter” move, as beyond her remit and full with sinister implications, the Stabroek News reported. Singh had not revealed publicly her letter to the CIO, Leslie James who is also the Commissioner of Police but the correspondence had been first spoken of by government-appointed GECOM Commissioner, Vincent Alexander last week and was circulated days ago.

Critics believe that the APNU+AFC is looking for ways to nullify the ongoing recount and discredit the March 2nd 2020 general and regional elections, given that the recount exercise at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre is repeatedly confirming that the Returning Officer (RO) of the largest constituency, Region 4, Clairmont Mingo inflated numbers for the coalition and deflated numbers for their main rival the PPP/C during the tabulation process. Twice in March, Mr Mingo used a doctored spreadsheet and unverified results to announce the coalition as the winner, with GECOM refusing to release its original Statements of Polls (SOPs).

Last evening on Day 29 of the extended recount, there were 2,014 boxes counted with only 1,968 tabulated by GECOM, according to The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) which reports daily updates through its Founding Member and App Developer, Shaz Ally at the party’s website https://www.guyanaresults.com/.

The update shows that nearly 350 boxes of the key and largest Region Four still remain to be tabulated, as the initiative enters its final crucial stages. All 12 workstations are expected to be dedicated to this District Four sometime today.

Immediately following the elections, the other nine

Districts had been processed and declared to the full satisfaction of all parties and international and local observers. Only District Four needed to be tabulated, but in his capacity as Opposition Leader, Mr Bharrat Jagdeo agreed that all the Regions would be recounted, watched by a team of CARICOM observers.

This week, warnings sounded. The PPP/C said, “We wish to highlight that a political party APNU+AFC, not the Government, was provided by the (Immigration Department) with the immigration records of citizens without their consent, which APNU+AFC is using for it nefarious political agenda. The matter is compounded by the Commissioner of Police purporting to verify the very information that … his servants/agents supplied to that political party.”

A New and United Guyana (ANUG) found, “If the GECOM Secretariat is acting on its own initiative to conduct a trial and receive evidence from a third party, an immigration department, and moreso without the knowledge and instructions of GECOM this is alarming.”

It added, “ANUG goes further to point out that the conduct of a trial to receive evidence from external sources to ascertain the truth of the APNU claims that GECOM’s records of what transpired on election day and who voted on that day is beyond the ambit of GECOM’s function, even if the secretariat has not unlawfully gone on its own frolic but was acting with GECOM’s instruction. Such instructions will be unlawful.”

Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman expressed concern that “Madam Chair is going down a very slippery slope,” pointing out that there was overwhelming evidence of Mr Mingo fudging numbers

for the APNU+AFC and making a false declaration but yet there was no investigation by the Commission.

“If you’re looking for wrongdoing also, what we have seen in this recount is that Mr. Mingo’s numbers were completely flawed and inflated but yet there has been no attempt made to address that issue…We’re curious to know if Madam Chair is going to ask the Police to come and conduct a criminal investigation into the conduct of Mr. Mingo and whoever else his cohorts may be.”

But it was ANUG’s Executive member, lawyer Kian Jabour, who summed it up. In a social media post Tuesday, he noted, “We are entering the stage of the recount in Region 4, where (Mr) Mingo manipulated the numbers the most during the first 3 declarations. ANUG will be monitoring this very carefully, to ensure they do not try to rig this election again. @ Arthur Chung Conference Centre.”

ID is hiding her thumbs as she hears from “Macbeth,” “When shall we three meet again, In thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly’s done, when the battle ‘s lost and won.”