Nomination Day will be held at City Hall as has been the tradition over the years, even though doubts have been raised about its ability to do so given the deteriorated state of the historic building.
This assurance was given by both acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba and Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield.
Sooba had said at a press briefing, on March 12, that Lowenfield had met with her and several of her officers including the City Engineer in order to ascertain City Hall’s ability to host the activities necessary for Nomination Day, April 7. Traditionally, these activities are held in the Council Chamber and Sooba had noted that concerns had been raised about the structural stability of the stairway and corridor leading to this chamber.
Usually on Nomination Day, dozens of party candidates and others traverse the area. Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally yesterday told an assembled group of youths at a BlueCAPS ‘Let’s Talk’ event that thought had been put into perhaps changing the location of Nomination Day to the Guyana National Convention Centre at Liliendaal. He said that venue was a beautiful building that could add dignity to the event. However, a switch to that location would deny parties the traditional march from their party bases, all of which are in the city. In the conflict between tradition and dignity, tradition has won for now.
Sooba had noted that there were concerns that the associated excitement and issues with crowd control might be too much for the weakened building.
An observation of the space could lead to conclusions that at the very least there would be expenditure to replace a few of the rotten boards in the corridor. When asked if GECOM was prepared to make any such outlay of expenditure, Lowenfield noted that GECOM’s budget does not thus extend. He stressed, “It’s their hall, we are just using the location.”
City Hall has been in a decrepit state for years. Twice last year—in April and then in October—Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon had announced that government had committed first $200 million and then $100 million to restore the architectural wonder, which is crumbling in some places. To date nothing has been done.
