The AFC yesterday reiterated its concern at the use of state resources for electioneering purposes and reminded the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) of its constitutional obligations to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the constitution.
Reading from a prepared statement at the party’s weekly media briefing, the AFC’s Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan said that they are concerned about the recent cabinet outreach exercises which, according to him, “are calculated to confer a significant electioneering advantage to the PPP/C’s presidential candidate Mr. Donald Ramotar who is not a member of the executive arm of the government.”
He added, “The AFC notes that such misuse of state resources has become a distinguishing feature of the PPP’s misrule.” Ramjattan said that the AFC wanted to remind GECOM of its constitutional obligations under article 162 (1) (b) to ensure impartiality, fairness and compliance with the provisions of the constitution or any Act of Parliament on the part of persons exercising powers or performing duties connected with or relating to the election of members of the National Assembly.
He also reminded GECOM and “the government propaganda apparatus” of their obligations and restraint under section 136 of the Representation of the People Act dealing with false statements concerning candidates. “As a specific example of such a breach, NCN is falsely peddling the lie that our Prime Ministerial candidate wants to take away pension benefits from over 17,000 pensioners. According to section 146 (1) such a practice could be deemed illegal,” he said.
He also noted that they are concerned about state resources being used to pay for Ramotar’s trip with President Bharrat Jagdeo next week to New York. The fundraising trip is reportedly being advertised by the Guyana Consulate in that city.
Under the constitution, GECOM is the body that deals with free and fair elections and they have a duty to ensure impartiality and fairness, Ramjattan said. He said that “in a sense” it is within the Commission’s capacity to go and indicate to the government that there may not be impartiality or fairness in the process when they are using state resources and other opposition parties are crying out to the extent that they cannot get paid ads on NCN.
The party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Sheila Holder, said that in relation to the consulate, the next time the party goes to New York for a fundraising event, they would inform the consulate and see whether they respond likewise. When officials behave in such a partial manner, it is grounds for their removal in a new administration, she said.
