Dear Editor,
Permit me to comment on the PNCR’s call for me to resign from GECOM and related matters in the aftermath of my resignation from the Joint Task Force On Local Government Reform (JTFOLGR).
There is a marked difference between the JTFOLGR and The Elections Commission for Guyana (GECOM). JTFOLGR is an inter-party committee established by agreement between the Leader of the PNCR and the President. It has no legal status among the organs or agencies of government in Guyana. In fact, the agreement is not legally binding. GECOM is a constitutional body established under the provisions of the constitution.
The membership of JTFOLGR is purely a matter for the two leaders and the members are there to reflect their party’s position and can be removed at any time by the respective leader. The membership of GECOM is determined by the constitution and the procedure for identifying and appointing those members are also prescribed by the constitution. Once they are appointed they cannot be removed other than under the provisions of Articles 161 (4) and 225 conjointly.
The reality is the JTFOLGR is intended to come under the command of the political directorates. GECOM is intended to be insulated from the direct influence or command of the political directorates, hence the security of tenure of the commissioners.
It is unfortunate that the PNCR’s General Council was led to believe that these two bodies are similar and that the reason or occasion for my resignation from the JTFOLGR should automatically be the reason or occasion for me to resign from GECOM.
It is also unfortunate that the PNCR’s attitude is reflective of the long arms of the party reaching into GECOM. That is exactly what the Constitution Reform Commission and the Parliament did not intend when they proposed and approved the provisions of the constitution, respectively. These are cardinal issues in our attempt to develop good governance. Is the PNCR now distancing itself from the efforts at championing good governance in Guyana?
Could the PNCR articulate what informed my nomination to GECOM and whether those considerations have been negated by my resignation from JTFOLGR? Is it the salary that informed my nomination? If not why is the salary being projected as my reason for not resigning from GECOM? Does the PNCR wish to attach a value to my eight years of voluntary work on the JTFOLGR?
All of the above illustrates why my contesting for the position of Leader of the Party was predicated on the need for a new political culture in the party and the nation at large. I would not wish to be associated with manipulating the lack of knowledge of the party’s membership and in fact reinforcing that lack of knowledge as the basis of retaining their political support.
Yours faithfully,
Vincent Alexander
