Voters along the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) yesterday turned out in their numbers to cast their ballots to elect the new government in a process that was described as successful despite minor hiccups.
‘G’ Division Comma-nder Kevin Adonis noted that no major incidents were recorded by the police at the 108 polling stations in his division, which includes the Essequibo Islands.
At Taymouth Manor Primary School, at Affiance, tensions ran high as Shaik Baksh, Nanda Gopaul and other PPP/C supporters were seen taking persons into the polling place although they did not have ID cards and their names were not on the list.
The police subsequently asked Baksh, Gopaul and about two other PPP/C supporters twice to move away from the polling place since they were about 6 ft away from the fence.
According to a rank, who asked them to move, when asked the first time the men did not move but complied when asked the second time.
PPP/C observer Francis Darchiville told Stabroek News that the men were assisting voters who were having difficulties with their ID cards as well as those whose names were not on the list. “Everything is going smoothly here. We are moving along well and Mr Baksh and Gopaul were rendering assistance to voters and after being asked to remove, they did,” he said
APNU+AFC agent Bhim Sain, who was on site, voiced his displeasure at the situation. “I feel bad about this whole thing. It is not in keeping with the law or constitution of Gecom… We had to caution them and the ranks who were there talked to them but I still had to lodge a complaint at the Anna Regina Police Station and Inspector Persaud [only name given] had to intervene. These men
were there taking people into the polling station without ID cards and all of that. As soon as we got the report, we came here immediately,” he said.
APNU+AFC had a command centre set up at Anna Regina, where it received telephone calls with reports of alleged misconduct and hiccups at various polling places along the coast.
Meanwhile, at Paradise, Essequibo Coast, a report was made to the police that at the polling station at Ramlakhan’s Rice Mill, voters were being sent to vote at another polling station. “A report was made to the police that Gecom took a new voters list and when persons turned up, they were sent to different polling stations. The police were called and they went to investigate the issue,” Commander Adonis later told Stabroek News when asked.
Moving fast
As in other places around the country, many people went to cast their ballots early. This was the case at Charity, Essequibo Coast, where persons turned up at the Charity Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools to vote from the 6 am start.
At 6.10 am at Charity Primary School, a voter, who asked not to be named, related that there was a smooth flow and the polling officials were polite and efficient. “Some persons did not know what to do but the people [polling agents] help them with everything and they were moving very fast, so there was not a very long line,” the voter said.
Meanwhile, at just before 9 am at Lima Nursery School, there were about 45 persons lined up waiting to cast their votes.
One woman, who was exiting the compound, was loudly complaining about the attitude of the polling officials. “The first thing is that people name ain’t deh pun the list at this place [Lima Nursery School] and people who supposed to vote at Coffee Grove coming here then they had to send them to another place to vote. I am not pleased because the agents were not respectable to some of us. They tell we how to fold the ballot paper but I fuhget and before they help we, they want to quarrel and open them mouth on people. That is wah I ain’t please with,” she said.
Joylyn Benn, who also turned up early to vote at Lima Nursery School, was sent away after she was told that her name was not on the list. The woman had been incarcerated and since she was not a first time voter, she assumed that her name was on the list and expressed disappointment after being sent away.
APNU+AFC agents, who were in the area, reassured Benn that they would check the list for her name and make contact with her.
At the 8th of May Secondary, Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast there were reports that some first time voters were not informed about the voting process and only marked the general part of the ballot paper and not the regional part of the paper. “Even though the youths especially were excited to vote, after voting some of them said that they just place their X at the top column. I think that the people at the school should have tell them what to do. We had a healthy turn out of youths which I am very happy about,” said a villager.
When Stabroek News visited polling stations at Cotton Field, Reliance and
Queenstown, there were no reports of problems.
