Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter written by Mr. Vincent Alexander captioned `No basis for Jagdeo to conclude GECOM Chairman has been biased’ that was published in SN on June 14, 2018. I must say it is one of the poorest pieces of articulation I have ever seen from Mr. Alexander and it clearly illustrates how well adjusted he has become to defending most unintelligently the systemic injustices being imposed by the ruling “lumpen bourgeoisie” against the people.
The facts will reveal that after evaluating the job functions and interviewing the shortlisted applicants, the person with the highest score for Deputy Chief Election Officer was still denied the role. Why?
First off all the taxpayers of Guyana are funding GECOM and therefore in principle, this organisation must be seen to be serving the entire nation. The team at all times must reflect Guyana in all of its shades and forms. If one is to look at the top 13 officeholders in GECOM, just like the current list of Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers, you can safely say it does not reflect the rainbow of talent that constitutes Guyana. This is an excellent case for the Ethnic Relations Commission and the Ministry of Social Cohesion to investigate.
If the GECOM Chairman does not understand the intent of GECOM he should hurry up and get briefed. In 1990 when those discussions were being advanced and the system was constructed to restore democracy in Guyana, President Hoyte and the then leader of the opposition Cheddi Jagan agreed to the Carter Model as a check and balance system to prevent exactly this situation that is happening today at GECOM. Their vision was that GECOM was going to be an independent agency created by law to conduct and regulate free and fair elections and elections free from fear. They provided GECOM and its predecessor with jurisdiction over the entire electoral process and with a collection of ethical people at the top who at all times aimed to preserve its impartiality by fostering a course that was unbiased, and dispassionately balanced. Unfortunately today under Mr. Patterson, this is not the case. In 2018 GECOM comes across as an organization that is prejudiced and very biased.
Irrespective of what they do, if this bigoted course is pursued, in the end, this nation will suffer. That is why the collective fightback must happen now because unrighteousness must never be allowed to conquer righteousness and we must never allow the rulers to walk the nation back to the days of colorful elections as practised by Burnham.
I am therefore calling on the Guyanese in the Diaspora to internationalise this fight by writing to your Senators, House Members, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries. The struggle must be taken to a different level. The facts are there for all to see. Indeed democracy is in crisis in Guyana today.
Yours faithfully,
Sasenarine Singh
