Retired Justice of Appeal Claudette Singh was sworn in as the first female chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) yesterday and signalled that the constitution would be her guide.
Singh had declined to be considered in 2017 but changed her mind when she was contacted last Friday.
“The Leader of the Opposition and the President reposed their confidence in me. They both thought I was the most suitable person and they asked me for the sake of the country. That is why, nothing else,” she told reporters after her swearing in ceremony at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Resplendent in a black business suit with white trim, Singh added that she did not see the post any differently to any other that she has held.
“It makes no difference. I’ve held many positions before. When I was on the bench I was called “Iron Lady,” I was called “the hanging judge,” so this is no difference. I’m just hoping to do something for Guyana. There is only one way, in accordance with the law, in accordance with the constitution and nothing else,” Singh stressed, before adding that she will be “endeavouring to have a free, fair and transparent elections.”
Noting that she was looking forward to meeting the two sides of the commission separately and then together, Singh stressed that she does not believe in “walking out.”
The most recent meetings of the Commission, following the passage of the December 21st no-confidence motion against government and immediately prior to the resignation of the former Chairman, were each cut short when the opposition-nominated commissioners walked out in protest of the commission’s failure to begin preparation for general and regional elections.
“I believe in inclusivity. I will speak with everybody. I do not believe in people walking out when there is a disagreement. I believe in sitting down and hammering out the problems, not the media will solve our problems, we will have to,” Singh stressed.
The new chairperson, who was given only a few hours’ notice before her selection on Friday, will take up office today, having spent yesterday vacating her post as legal
advisor to the Guyana Police Force.
Meanwhile, both the government and opposition-nominated commissioners have offered Singh support and Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield was heard arranging for her to meet the GECOM Secretariat’s senior staff as soon as she assumes duties.
It was all smiles and congratulations at yesterday’s ceremony as men and women who had most recently referred to each other in vitriolic terms leaned in to chuckle at shared jokes and smiled brightly for the cameras as they recommitted to the cause of “free and fair elections” in Guyana.
When President David Granger strode into the Rupununi Room to swear in Singh, he shook hands with Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo who had a front row seat. Also in attendance was PPP/C presidential candidate Irfaan Ali.
Singh’s selection marked the end of weeks of tense negotiations between the president and the opposition leader.
President Granger yesterday declared it “a great day” for Guyana and expressed confidence that Singh will perform the exacting duties and responsibilities of Chair in accordance with her oath of office and the constitution.
Singh was on July 26th selected by Granger from a list of six submitted to him by Jagdeo in accordance with the provisions of at Article 161(2) of the Constitution.
She replaces retired judge James Patterson, who resigned following a June 18th ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice that his unilateral appointment by Granger was unconstitutional.
Jagdeo also expressed confidence in Singh. Following the ceremony, Granger and Jagdeo held a discussion with Attorney General Basil Williams.
They, however, would answer no questions on the expected resignation of Cabinet in line with the motion of no confidence.
“Free, fair, credible and timely elections are essential elements of a democratic state. The Elections Commission is not a plaything. Its independence is a condition for engendering confidence and ensuring public trust in the electoral system and for the efficient execution of elections,” Granger noted near the conclusion of the ceremony.
The new GECOM Chairman will immediately face two major issues: how to handle the CCJ edict that Article 106 (6) of the constitution requires general elections in three months from June 18th, 2019, when the CCJ validated the passage of a motion of no-confidence against the APNU+AFC government on December 21st, 2018. The new Chairman will also have to preside over a deeply divided GECOM on the question of whether controversial house-to-house registration for a new national register should be halted.
One of Singh’s important decisions as a High Court judge was in the election petition case brought by Esther Perreira that had challenged the results of the 1997 general elections, which had seen the accession to office of PPP/C President Janet Jagan. After lengthy hearings, Singh vitiated the results of the 1997 general elections on the grounds that there had been an unconstitutional use of a voter ID card. Her ruling mandated that a caretaker government was then in place and it should proceed swiftly to general elections.
In 2005, while she was a High Court judge, Singh had been passed over for the position of Chief Justice. The position was given to her junior, now retired Justice Carl Singh, who then went on to serve as acting Chancellor of the Judiciary until his departure in 2017.
Singh was called to the Bar in London in 1973 and admitted to the Bar in Guyana in 1976. She was one of three women appointed Senior Counsel in 2017 for her service as the Deputy Solicitor General and as a Puisne Judge and a Justice of Appeal and her leadership in spearheading the Modernisation of the Justice Reform Project, and as the Guyana Police Force’s Legal Advisor.
