Guyana Elections Commis-sion (Gecom) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally said yesterday that he would not knowingly do anything to undermine the public’s confidence in either the elections body or his post, particularly in the current election year.
In a letter (published in today’s Stabroek News), Surujbally said he has accepted the recent withdrawal of his appointment to the chairmanship of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), in the wake of the controversy it attracted. “My service in the nation’s interest was and is my only compass,” he wrote, while adding that he looks forward to “a peaceful, transparent, free and fair 2011 general and regional elections within the constitutionally due date.”
Last Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud rescinded the appointment, while explaining that it was not as a result of any illegality, but rather in the context of circumstances beyond the government’s contemplation. Further, he noted that the position was supported by an opinion provided by the State’s legal advisor. While Article 161 of the Constitution bars the Gecom chairman from engaging in any other form of employment, government spokesmen have contended that his pro-bono service to the GLDA did not constitute “employment.” Opposition parties PNCR and the AFC criticised Surujbally’s decision to accept the appointment; they suggested that it was unconstitutional and also questioned the wisdom of the move in an election year.
In explaining his acceptance of the GLDA post, Surujbally wrote that he was motivated entirely by his lifelong conviction that the livestock sub-sector could play a pivotal role in the economic development and diversification of the economy, as well as in the transformation of rural Guyana.
He noted that this was also the vision of late president and PNCR leader Desmond Hoyte, who appreciated the concept of a GLDA “and who entrusted the architectural design of the authority to me.” Persaud, he added, recognised the wisdom of such a venture and asked him to chair the new authority.
Surujbally emphasised that prior to accepting the appointment, he sought and received independent legal counsel from several scholars in jurisprudence and constitutional law. “None of the advice given to me suggested that (i) the two offices (full-time chairmanship of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) and the Chairmanship of the GLDA) were incompatible, and (ii) there were any constitutional provisions restricting me from taking up the pro bono GLDA appointment. I acted on that advice which I felt to be sound,” he said.
Surujbally explained that he also wrote to the leadership of all the political parties in Parliament last August, inviting their comments on his possible acceptance of the appointment given the political environment. He says nowhere in the letter did he seek endorsement. “To date, I have received no objections,” he added.
In addition to the party leaders, Surujbally said he wrote to Minister Persaud that his appointment as chairman of the Board of the GLDA “should not be construed or interpreted as a subservience or a beholding to you personally or in your capacity as a minister of government.”
However, with criticism of his decision becoming more strident over the past few weeks, Surujbally said, he could not disregard the comments. “…and since I hold the Office of the Gecom chairman to be near-sacred, I will do nothing knowingly that will undermine the public’s confidence in the commission or the inherent integrity of its chairman, particularly in an election year.”
