It is with a sense of futility that we pen this response to public comments which were made by leading politicians in Guyana pertaining to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) work in preparation for the holding of Local Government elections.
Three cases in point which needs to be addressed are:-
(i) the comments attributed to Mr. Raphael Trotman in the Kaieteur News of 15.03.2010 in an article titled “GECOM on track for mid April Local Govt. Elections”, viz “….as the nation is put on an elections footing for the holding of Local Government Elections that are scheduled for April, 2010, the people of Guyana are no wiser as to their rights and responsibilities under the new electoral system that is proposed. If we are made to believe that the holding of elections is in itself the greatest litmus test of a functioning democracy, rather than the fullest participation of the people, then by all accounts, GECOM is failing miserably to prepare the people to exercise their constitutional and democratic rights to vote, and to elect leaders of their choice. …”,
(ii) the comment attributed to Mr. Donald Ramotar in the Guyana Times of 16.03.2010 in an article titled “Ramotar declares PPP ready for local govt. elections”, viz “GECOM Chairman will have to announce the date for the elections”, and
(iii) the comment purportedly extracted from an Alliance For Change (AFC) Press Release and published in the Guyana Times of 16.03.2010 in an article titled “Ramotar declares PPP ready for local govt. elections”, viz “The AFC is also concerned about the rumoured date of local government elections and GECOM’s continued failure to clarify this situation.
With respect to the above comments we are forced to once again, as we have already done repeatedly, make the Commission’s position pellucidly clear, notwithstanding our unenthusiastic expectation that political personalities will cease their efforts to undermine the integrity of the GECOM. Accordingly, it is essential that the following be noted:-
GECOM is on record as having made it clear that the mixed electoral system for the Local Government Elections is so complex and complicated that it warrants a very specific focus. Apropos, it was decided that as the Claims and Objections exercise wound down, efforts to educate the public about the Local Government Elections would commence with the publication of information on the least confusing aspects of the new electoral system. This resulted in the commencement of sequential publications of specific Notices, via the print and electronic media, relating to the Local Government Elections, even before the conclusion of the Claims and Objections exercise. We have also now commenced the publication of skit type, easy-to-understand infomercials pertaining to the Local Government Elections.
The Chief Election Officer and Members of the Commission, have participated at panel discussions hosted by Mr. Christopher Ram (“Plain Talk”), Mr. Yesu Persaud (“Eye on the Issues”) and Mr. Martin Goolsarran (“Close Up”) with the specific objective of making pertinent information available to all stakeholders in the Local Government Elections. These panel discussions have already been published, and would be republished repeatedly over the next four weeks. Preparations for another panel discussion with Dr. Grantley Walrond (“Spotlight”) on Channel 9 are in train.
GECOM organised interactive public fora, to give stakeholders first hand information about the Local Government Elections, in all of the six Municipalities.
GECOM has held two sequential Workshops to educate Political Parties, Voluntary Groups and Independent Candidates on matters associated with the upcoming Local Government Elections. These Workshops were held at the Rupununi Room, Hotel Tower Limited, on Friday, March 5, 2010, and February 17, 2010. No potential Party, Group or Candidate can now say that it/he/she does not know the prerequisites associated with making submissions on Nomination Day. The Commission remains willing to organize a third Workshop of this nature for those slow to comprehend and for new Parties/Groups/Candidates. Only those who do not want to understand the new system for Local Government Elections will remain in the dark.
In passing, would it be unreasonable to expect Political Parties to complement GECOM’s efforts pertaining to the Civic and Voter Education undertaking?
GECOM has not to date made, nor is it authorised to make any official statement pertaining to the appointment of any date for the holding of Local Government Elections. GECOM has the responsibility to inform the Minister of Local Government about the Commission’s state of preparedness and about a date on which Local Government Elections could be held. This would be done at the appropriate time. Thereafter, it is the responsibility of the Minister of Local Government to appoint a date for the holding of Local Government Elections. This state of affairs cannot be alien to politicians, especially seasoned ones.
GECOM maintains an open door policy insofar as the provision of pertinent information is concerned, especially relative to the provision of clarity on complex election related issues. Also, our published hotlines are and continue to be available.
In view of the foregoing, I can only wish that politicians would (i) contact GECOM directly for any clarity on any matter about which they might be non-knowledgeable, and (ii) stop making uninformed comments about GECOM and its work, since this course of action carries the potential to undermine the integrity of the Commission and, by extension, the electoral process to be administered by GECOM.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Steve Surujbally, A.A.
Chairman
GECOM
