PPP-nominated Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) commissioners have expressed concern at ads appearing in the press yesterday regarding personnel required for the conduct of House to House Registration and have called for them to be withdrawn.
“The Commission has not taken a decision to commence House to House Registration and as a consequence, these advertisements are perplexing, at best,” the PPP-nominated commissioners said in a statement issued through Freedom House. They expressed “great concern.”
In two ads appearing in the Sunday Stabroek, GECOM sought applications from persons to fill the temporary position of enumerator for House to House registration. The other vacancy is for the temporary position of Assistant Registration Officer for House to House registration.
GECOM has said that by majority vote on February 19 it decided to continue with its approved work plan for the year 2019 inclusive of the house-to-house registration process for which $3 billion was allocated.
The PPP-nominated commissioners, Bibi Shadick, Sase Gunraj and Robeson Benn, observed that the ads come in light of the impending need for the conduct of General and Regional Elections, mandated by the successful passage of a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly on the 21st December, 2018.
“Despite our repeated requests, both within the Commission and publicly, for the Secretariat to commence preparations for the conduct of elections, no step has been taken in this regard. Instead, one excuse after the other has been proffered as for the delay on such commencement. The latest excuse of funding is, in our opinion, a contrived attempt to cause further delay,” they said.
“We maintain that House to House Registration is not necessary at this time. There are several legally prescribed processes for the revision of the electoral roll to enable the conduct of elections. These processes ought to be utilised in light of the constitutionally mandated timeline for the holding of the elections aforesaid,” the statement added.
According to the PPP-nominated commissioners, they view this action of the Secretariat as a “flagrant disregard of its mandate enshrined in the Constitution.”
“In light of the foregoing, we call on the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission to immediately withdraw the advertisements and with similar immediacy, commence the preparation for the conduct of elections in the manner and time specified by law,” the statement added.
President David Granger has urged GECOM to begin preparations for elections.
