President Donald Ramotar and Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally met briefly early yesterday prior to the announcement of the suspension of the Parliament.
Surujbally told Stabroek News that, given the current political climate, he requested a meeting with Ramotar to gauge the government’s intentions.
He said that during the meeting, held at the Office of the President, Ramotar stated that he would be addressing the nation on his proclamation to prorogue Parliament. He added that no specifics in relation to the commission’s preparedness to hold general or local government elections were discussed.
During his address to the nation, moments after the meeting, Ramotar said that should engagements between the government and opposition during the suspension fail, then early general elections would be called.
The meeting between Gecom’s Chairman and the President has observers paying keen attention to what the next move by the government will be. For months, the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) during its weekly press briefings has been attacking Gecom, which it says is unprepared to hold either local government or general elections although the commission has repeatedly stated it was ready.
During the party’s press briefing yesterday at Freedom House, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee stated that the party was concerned that Gecom would be caught off guard. Observers noted that the party’s comments, just hours before the President announced the Parliament’s prorogation, was just part of its continued attacks on Gecom’s ability to fulfil its mandate.
Most recently, the PPP had accused Gecom of a lapse in security that resulted in 25 cartons of indelible ink going missing from the commission’s headquarters.
Rohee had stated that the police force must be called in to investigate these breaches and called on Surujbally to provide to the parties and the public the full details of these breaches of security as well as assurances that appropriate action will be taken against person(s) found to be negligent.
However, Surujbally said the investigation had commenced over a month ago and that no indelible ink was missing. He also stated that Gecom did not utilise leftover ink for new elections. He noted, too, that indelible ink could be purchased from drug stores across the country.
Surujbally said the fact that the police were investigating the missing items from Gecom should be known to Rohee, who also holds the government portfolio of Minister of Home Affairs.
