The Guyana Elections Commission had earlier announced that continuous registration would begin on September 6, and had urged persons who had already registered to uplift their identification cards, 7,000 of which have not yet been collected. This week we find out from the man and woman in the street if they have registered and if they have, whether they have uplifted their cards and what they thought about them.
William Johnson, private sector employee – ‘Yes, I have registered since they were doing registration two years back for the ID cards. I collect my card when they started to share it out. Some of [the photos]… though was not taken out good and some take out bad. So far my own ain’t look all that pleasant. The face looking long and me face is a round face. I don’t use the new ID card because me ain’t like how it take out. I use the old one. I don’t have a problem with the new one, I just want them to take it out better.’
Hubert Daniels, retiree – ‘I have registered since about two years ago and I collect me ID card since it start giving out. Mine is okay; you can identify me. I use it and get results; I’ve never had no problems with it. For me, I don’t think we need a new ID card and I’ve heard people complaining, but for me mine is okay.’
Jackie Hanover, private sector employee – ‘I’m registered but I have not collected my ID card as yet because I’m now living in another region. When I registered I was living on the East Coast; now that I’ve moved I contacted Gecom and they told me to go the office in my area where I now live, but when I went they told me they don’t have it.
‘They sent me back to the office where I registered, and they said that they don’t have my card. This is my first ID card and it’s difficult doing some transactions because you can’t always use your ID card.’
Elizabeth, vendor – ‘I did not get to register because I did not get my birth certificate. I applied long before registration start and up to now I go back to GPO with the slip and they say they can’t find it.
‘I have the old ID card and that’s the one I’m using, but if I get my birth certificate I will go and register.’
Linda McPherson, vendor – ‘I registered and collected my ID, but it ain’t come out good. I still use it because sometimes I have important things to do, and if I carry it back it is going to take time and I will not be able to get anything done. Some people say it ain’t do good but when I use it, it is still accepted.’
Seeme Hari, UG student – ‘I have registered and collected my ID. Except for the picture everything is good. I had to do a retake but now it is 100 per cent okay. I use it and have no difficulty. I like it; we needed an upgrade on ID cards and this one is okay.’
Mark Culley, private sector employee – ‘I registered and collected my ID, but I’m not pleased with the picture, but finding the time to go and get it looked after is difficult. I have used it and not found any difficulty; nobody objected to it. There is nothing wrong with this new card besides the picture; we need a national ID card.’
Karen Henry, unemployed – ‘I registered and collected my ID card and found no problem with it. I use it and think it is okay, and I prefer it to the old one even though this is my first ID card.’
Lance Kennedy, photographer – ‘As a photographer the camera used to take out the photo was a point and shoot one, but a professional camera was needed. When the girl brought the camera to take out my picture she was real inexperienced. I had to be taken out five times.
‘The ID card is horrible and the bank I bank at does not accept it; they use the old one. I don’t use it. I use the old card. I think they need to train these people more to use the camera because the light effects really causing damage to the picture.’
Floyd Jackman, bus driver – ‘When it came around to registration I didn’t have a birth certificate. It was lost but I got it replaced now. I got to go and get registered because is only the other day I get through with the certificate. But from what I am seeing I don’t like the new ID cards. I hope mine come out okay because it is pure amateurs they got as photographers.’
