Not linked to any political party

Dear Editor,

Please permit me to comment on one aspect of a letter titled ‘Most Guyanese will welcome the observer missions’ which was published in the Guyana Chronicle of August 13 under the name “T. King.”

Mr King has proffered in his missive that “… many on the opposite side see Mr [sic] Surujbally as a link to the PPP/C.” and “All at GECOM must speak with one voice to the entire population and the world at large, so no one can cry after the fact that the head of GECOM was in cahoots with the PPP/C.”  Where is the evidence to support King’s positions?

I find it extremely mind boggling when I try to deduce how Mr King arrived at these conclusions.  Hence, I am left to wonder whether he has an agenda in promoting the falsehood that I am in “cahoots” with the PPP/C.  Is it so difficult for Mr King, and more specifically the Editor of the Guyana Chronicle, not to realize the possible implications of such statements?  Is it so much out of their intellectual capacity for them not to realize that such statements can cast doubt on the entire electoral process?

Please allow me to use your space to state categorically that I am not linked to, nor am I in “cahoots” with any political party or any other external organisation that might have, even obliquely, interests in elections in Guyana.  Further, never have I been accused by any member of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) of having acted with bias or in favour of one political party or the other.

Nor have I ever seen or heard any “on the opposite side” publicly accuse me of being protagonistic to any political party.

Let it be known that the commission’s business is conducted in a very open and transparent manner in which every commissioner is entitled to and does exercise the right to express his considered positions on any issue.

This letter serves to clearly establish that the integrity of the Chairman must not be compromised by innuendo, misrepresentation and blatant falsehoods.  Sadly though, I am not optimistic, since I believe that Mr King’s piece was intentional and will be followed by others who will emerge from the woodwork as merchants of doubt.

Yours faithfully,
Steve Surujbally
Chairman
Guyana Elections Commission