Executive member of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Robert Persaud on December 1 said that even though the party has secured the presidency of Guyana, the results of the 2011 elections are indeed a disappointment. He blamed this on the opposition parties: the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and apathy.
Executive member of the PPP/C Robert Persaud
Persaud, who focused his attention on the party supporters, said that those who did not turn out to vote simply felt that the PPP/C’s victory was a foregone conclusion. On that note, Persaud said that the indifference came close to destroying all the gains that the PPP/C has made since 1992.
“The results, while victorious, are indeed a disappointment, but they are also a timely reminder to all and sundry of what indifference almost cost you and your country. In fact, we lost one seat by six votes which would have assured us a working majority in the National Assembly,” Persaud stated.
Persaud said that the party did not get better results because of three As: APNU, AFC and Apathy.
Persaud said that preliminary analysis have pointed to the fact that many persons thought that victory was assured for the PPP/C and did not see the need to go to the polling stations.
“I think it is a feature of parties in government after several terms. Its supporters become a bit complacent. So we recognise that the third “A” that we had to deal with was the element of apathy,” Persaud said.
According to Persaud, the PPP/C has become a victim of its own success.
He said that when people become comfortable and when they enjoy prosperity and witness progress, they have less hunger to turn out to elections. “It has been, in fact, our success and our progress that perhaps would have contributed towards apathy,” Persaud stated.
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