Stabroek News
March 21, 2001

Some of the smaller political parties have mixed reactions to the manner in which Monday's general election was conducted.

Several persons complained about not being able to vote because they were not on the official list of electors, or on the addendum.

The Rise, Organise and Rebuild Guyana (ROAR) movement said it was prepared to accept the results of Monday's general elections come what may despite the debate over some voters' disenfranchisement.

Campaign Manager Salahudeen Nausrudeen felt the "glitches were minor and will not affect the results of the elections."

Reflecting on the day's exercise, Nausrudeen said his party observed the polling process itself "started very well."

But he pointed out that there was a period of acclimatisation which the polling officers needed to "build a rhythm" and then it was "easy sailing."

In Black Bush Polder, ROAR claimed that it encountered ten of its supporters who could not vote because they were not on the registration list although they possessed the means by which to do so. There were four more such cases in Canje, but "whatever the case" ROAR "is prepared to accept the results [of the elections]."

However, the People's Republic Party (PRP) "felt partly cheated" leader Nateram Das said.

He said his supporters simply refused to vote because they lost total confidence in the exercise. This reaction stemmed from that party's court action against the Guyana Elections Commission over the way it handled a matter regarding the PRP's constituencies.

Nonetheless, the PRP was grateful that the process was peaceful.

Samuel Hamer of the Guyana National Congress (GNC) did not want to elaborate on his party's concerns over the elections.

Still in a state of framing its own position on Monday's poll,

The United Force's (TUF) main grouse at the moment was with one of its candidates not being able to cast his vote because of a situation which developed since February.

TUF's party executive member Malcolm DeFreitas said: "The mechanisms were against" his supporters.

C.N. Sharma, Leader of the Justice For All Party was not pleased with the many frustrations his supporters experienced. He said among some of whom he spoke with, about 15 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), chose not to capitalise on that vital moment in a country's electoral process of deciding who should be their government for another term, in this case, five years.

Nonetheless, Sharma has given kudos to GECOM Chairman Joe Singh for a "remarkable" effort at spearheading order and calm during the entire exercise.