Dear Editor,
As a Commissioner of Gecom I received a copy of a letter of protestation: ‘Recent actions by Gecom on access to its database’ which was sent to Gecom by the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party. The content of the letter has since been referred to, and elaborated on, in Mr Rohee’s weekly press conference.
That letter contains the most idiotic and ludicrous pronouncements I have heard in recent times.
Idiotic because it lacks any thought based on fact. It is all contrived thinking. Ludicrous, because it is nonsensical, absolutely baseless and far from the truth. It is founded on fabrications.
One of the bases of Mr Rohee’s contention is that Commissioner Alexander, presumably on behalf of the Ministry of Education, was seeking access to Gecom’s database. What Commissioner Alexander requested are read-only CDs, of the Official List Of Voters, to be used for address-verification by the ministry’s school placement officers. That can never be considered to be access to the database.
What was requested is that Gecom provide a report generated from the database, which is quite separate from the database, once produced. Rohee’s contention, therefore, demonstrates either ignorance of such matters or an attempt to misrepresent the reality and mislead the gullible.
Another basis is that no formal request was made to Gecom. That is an absolute falsehood. Gecom’s decision was that the CDs would be made available upon a formal request. That request was made by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, in response to which Gecom availed the CDs.
Of note is that a similar report, on each iteration of the voters’ list, with much more information, is always available to Gecom commissioners and the political parties. Not to mention that the said information and more is accessible online @ www.gecom.org.gy/_2016. How then does the availability of less information in the same format (read-only CDs, not the database) to the Ministry of Education, suddenly present the opportunity for padding of the voters’ list as Mr Rohee contends?
That a senior political figure can seek to create such hysteria out of a non-issue, on such a sensitive matter, based on fabrications, is a matter of grave concern.
On the other hand that it cannot, apparently, be perceived how we can make the best use of our national assets, such as the voters’ list or the National Register of Registrants, is an indication of the backward nature of our politics, which seems to stymie progress and create division rather than foster unity and development.
In other countries, national databases are developed as integrated systems rather than the disparate, silo approach which seems to be the Guyana approach.
One is left to wonder whether we are visionless or whether our politicians see things through the prisms of negativity, given their own machinations and the fear that others may also have those machinations, hence their unwillingness to embrace change and/or modernization, if they are not in charge or stand to derive partisan benefits.
In employment law, fidelity is considered to be a fundamental condition of a contract and obligation of the holders of senior positions. Shouldn’t this also apply to state officials/holders of public offices, who are paid taxpayers’ monies in return for the proper conduct of the people’s affairs, rather than subject us to fabrications in the name of politics, more aptly referred to as politricks?
Yours faithfully,
Vincent Alexander
Gecom Commissioner
