PNCR Leader Robert Corbin has labelled recent talk about the possible introduction of overseas voting for the upcoming general elections, as a “sterile discussion.”

During his party’s weekly press conference on Friday, Corbin was asked his views on the matter which has become a heated topic of debate after senior PPP/C member Ralph Ramkarran said that under the constitution Guyanese living overseas had a right to vote in elections here. In response, Corbin said the topic was one he had refrained from commenting on but noted that Ramakarran had tried to lure him into the debate by disclosing that the topic had come up for discussion previously when they were members of the GECOM Commission before the 2001 elections.

According to Corbin, the matter had come up in 2001 when the PNCR had expressed their concern about the necessity of purging the voter’s list.  However, he said that during the discussions it was the PPP/C which had staunchly rejected the question of overseas voting on that occasion.   He noted that during those discussions Ramkarran’s legal interpretation on the matter had differed from that of the PPP/C’s legal team.  He pointed out that if the PPP/C had wanted to clear up this issue, its members could have moved to the courts to have it settled.

Corbin said that the current arguments were pointless since while there may be a constitutional entitlement for overseas Guyanese to vote, the current local Registration Act says someone has to be a resident in a local district to be put on the list.

The PNCR leader expressed the view that raising the issue at this particular time was nothing but a diversionary attempt by the administration to sidetrack the important issue of local government reform.