Newly-sworn in Chief Election Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) Keith Lowenfield said integrity and efficiency will be the hallmarks of his stewardship at the secretariat.
He was speaking to registration officers (ROs) at a meeting held on Wednesday.
Gecom’s day-to-day operations will be guided by its enshrined laws and policies, Lowenfield said and he underscored the need for ROs to give their fullest cooperation to their call of duty. He made clear that he was creating a new culture based on honesty and efficiency in the delivery of services and called on the staff to employ these merits in delivering their responsibilities. Lowenfield said there was no place “for duplicity, deviousness and deception under his stewardship,” according to a press release from the Commission.
The meeting aimed to update ROs from all 28 Gecom Registration Offices countrywide on the state of preparedness for the commencement of the sixth cycle of continuous registration. The agenda included emphasizing procedural issues related to this cycle of continuous registration and to discuss issues associated with boundary descriptions for constituencies in the local authority areas.
In this regard, Gecom Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally charged ROs to provide service of the highest standards, keeping in mind that the image and reputation of the Commission is at stake. He said ROs would be expected to raise the bar on their performance to ensure stakeholder satisfaction as they interact daily with members of the public during the conduct of registration transactions.
The Gecom Chairman pointed out that the provision of excellent services in an atmosphere of courtesy is absolutely necessary to enhancing and maintaining the reputation of the Commission and Secretariat. Noting that this meeting was the first at which the newly-sworn in Chief Elections Officer was participating in his new portfolio, Surujbally spoke of Lowenfield’s “upward progression” and urged the ROs to emulate him.
Deputy Chief Election Officer Calvin Benn, Assistant Chief Elections Officer (ag) Deolall Ramlall, Logistics Manager Colin April and Voter Registration Manager Beverley Critchlow also attended the meeting.
