Dear Editor,
Please permit me to bring to the attention of all stakeholders that the pamphlet titled ‘Local Government Elections,’ which was produced and circulated by an organisation called Facing the Future (FtF) carries some incorrect information.
Whereas GECOM welcomes the attempt by FtF to play a role in providing information about the new system for local government elections, the Commission cannot allow the incorrect information be fed to the public.
An example of incorrect information is where the pamphlet says that “Guyana is divided into six Municipalities and 65 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.” This is not true, since not all of Guyana is included in local authority areas. It would be correct to say that Guyana has six Municipalities and 65 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils. This difference is more than just a nuance, since several areas, eg, Amerindian Villages, are not classified as local authority areas and would not be contesting local government elections.
Another example is that the pamphlet conveys that “One candidate from each contesting party and each civic group is assigned to each constituency.” This is a very ambiguous statement which could lead to confusion about the election of candidates within the various constituencies.
GECOM recognizes the need for the publication of information pertaining to the new system for local government elections and will soon be mounting a civic and voter education programme to so do.
This activity, as part of a deliberate strategy (especially where timing is concerned), has been held back because of important, far-reaching and consequential uncertainties associated with the conduct of local government elections.
However, the Commission is moving towards commencing the publication of pertinent information which is not necessarily linked to the conduct of local government elections, but which is more specific to the new electoral system. In fact, the Commission is currently involved with educating our own permanent staff about the new local government elections system.
The law specifically mandates GECOM with the responsibility to carry out civic and voter education activities relative to the conduct of registration, general, regional and local government elections.
This pamphlet, which conveys that it is a “Summary of the New Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Act 2009,” denotes that it was published by the FtF with sponsorship from the following organisations: Amerindian People’s Association (APA), Church Women United (CWU), Common-ground, Community Based Rehabilitation, Guyana Council of Churches (GCC), Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), Guyana Society for the Blind, Guyana Workers Union (GWU), Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Rights of Children (ROC), Red Thread, Vilvoorden Women’s Organisation.
The FtF, all of the above listed organisations and other organisations are invited to contact GECOM for clarification and/or assistance on any matter concerning local government elections or any other relevant matter before getting involved in the publication of information the like of which is carried in the pamphlet referred to above.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Persaud
Public Relations Officer
