The farce may have ended but the damage will last much longer

Dear Editor,

The circus is over. A tortured nation can breathe a sigh of relief. The dark clouds that were swirling around have started to dissipate.

What was obvious to everyone with an IQ higher than ten since March 2020 is now official: The APNU+AFC coalition was booted from office by the people. Everyone, including those who went to great lengths to prevent the inevitable, knew it. Even those who floated and celebrated the idea of a dictatorship knew it. It took some time, but the will of the people prevailed and democracy won.

For five months that felt like a decade, disgruntled power hungry politicians tortured the nation for its decision to remove them from office. Aided and abetted by a duo of scoundrels, the losing party engaged in a series of selfish, senseless actions to deny the will of the electorate. The farce may have ended but the damage caused to the image and reputation of the country will last much longer.

The right of a people to choose their government in free and fair elections is a basic human right. Rigging in any form is indecent and degrading to human beings. Those of us who lived under Burnham/PNC rule saw the damage that unelected, unaccountable regime inflicted on the country and the moral fabric of the society. Past behaviour is a reliable indicator of future conduct and given a second chance after twenty eight years on the side lines, the PNC, now hiding behind the cloak of a coalition, returned to its old tricks and tried to remain in office by chicanery. What a shame. They blew it.

There were so many stunning developments since the election that the harebrained decision to litigate

not out, destined to face the final over, Gabriel essayed a shot one would employ to hit a six off the final delivery of a T20 game, and was comprehensively bowled by a simple delivery. Tying with the very strong Pakistani team would have been an immense confidence booster to a side which had fought tooth and nail throughout the series. So, what is the West Indies doing wrong or not doing at all?

In the National Basketball Association (NBA) League, as the play-offs progress every year, a familiar pattern emerges. The better defensive teams are always advancing to the next round. In the final minutes of a close game, with a narrow lead to protect, the whole team seems to adapt a different identity. The players on the court, their faces masked in deep concentration, arduously execute their defensive assignments, as the pace of the game quickens. Why does the better defensive team always seem to emerge as the winner? Is it because they want the victory more than their opponents? The ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand, that of closing out the game and protecting the lead, is the key to their success. Players spend countless hours doing repetitive drills in the gym and studying films of their opponents, breaking down their weaknesses, but more importantly, when the occasion demands, they can deliver what is expected of them.

Why aren’t our players closing out? Why aren’t they winning or at least drawing close series? Is it a lack of concentration? Is there a lack of self-confidence? Does the root of the problem lie in the structure of our Under-19 youth tournament which is

the No Confidence Motion now seems like a minor infarction in the distant past. Since March 2, the actions of APNU+AFC and their foot soldiers were vulgar, shameful and disgraceful. They showed their worst instincts as they dragged the country though the mud, leaving behind a nation more divided than ever.

Mingo and Lowenfield are a grand pair. Their actions were abominable in the extreme but David Granger embraced them as he stood in the shadows waiting for the loot.

In the Burnham years the internet, as we know it, did not exist and press freedom was restricted. Observer missions were ineffective and the international community looked the other way. 2020 was different but the pro Granger crowd was undaunted and made no attempt to conceal their efforts to steal the election. The

now a 50-over, one-day affair as opposed to years ago when it was conducted in the three-day format? At the end of the day, Phil Simmons can do a perfect job as coach, it is still the players who have to believe in themselves and perform on the big stage of Test cricket

What strategies did England adapt after they lost the First Test? Michael Vaughan, the former England Test captain, writing in the Daily Telegraph quite aptly sums up their approach, “The last two Tests provide the blueprint for how England should play Test cricket. It is about hard, disciplined batting for periods of time, seeing off spells of bowling, wearing bowlers down, and making sure the batsman on any pitch guide the team to at least a par score.

“With the ball in hand it is about relentless discipline outside off stump and bowling dots. By doing that they build pressure, inducing mistakes from batsmen. It is a simple formula and stood the test of time in Test cricket.”

The West Indies need to work on developing the mindset of closing out opponents and not letting them back into a game or a series, until that time we will continue to rank in the middle of the pack of Test playing countries.

Observer missions saw it, the press covered it, the internet disseminated it, the courts rejected it and the international community condemned it. It was a case of David Granger and his PNC-led APNU+AFC versus the rest of the world and the world saw a well- oiled rigging machine in action in real time.

They ignored world opinion, peddled disinformation and attacked those who disagreed with their actions. They took the country to the brink of a pariah state.

I had my first taste of national pride around age ten when I read in an essay written by my older brother that Guyana was “the granary of the West Indies.” It was the first time I had seen my country described in such glowing terms and I was as proud as Lucifer. That feeling never left me despite major jolts to my psyche during the Burnham/PNC era which featured a partnership with Jim Jones, the assassination of Walter Rodney and multiple rigged elections. Yet, I never imagined I would see Guyana become the laughing stock of the world again. David Granger, APNU+AFC and a supporting cast of scoundrels had no qualms about that.

The actions and performance of the Attorney General, the country’s chief law enforcement officer, were a disgrace to the office once held by the likes of Shridath Ramphal and Mohamed Shahabuddeen. His presentations both in court and before the OAS were unconvincing. They lacked depth and substance and reminded of my schoolboy debates in high school. The Foreign Minister’s presentation before the OAS was equally unconvincing and very embarrassing. It was a poor reflection on the society.

In the midst of the chaos three women stood tall. Retired Justice Claudette Singh, Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George and Prime Minister Mia Mottley deserve the country’s highest award. Guyanese owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their fortitude and commitment to democracy and rule of law.

Justice Singh endured a lot. She was subjected to threats, and abuse. In my letter published by SN on May 4, 2020, I said she had become “the guardian of democracy in the country.” I noted that:

“The odds are stacked against her but if she succeeds she will make a grateful nation proud.”

She did, and for that she gets my vote as person of the year.

Yours faithfully, Milton Jagannath