The People National Congress Reform (PNCR) has condemned as “disrespectful” a comment made by Sase Gunraj, opposition-nominated member of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), in which he called a meeting with President David Granger a waste of time.
“It’s a colossal waste of my time this morning and I think it’s a collective waste of the Commission’s time this morning,” Gunraj, an attorney, said of the meeting last Thursday, while noting that it discussed “nothing that was new.”
He added that the commission was “subjected to… the regular nonsense from the Executive about following the court’s decision…nothing that is new, no new position to be given, no new discussions to on the agenda.”
Gunraj’s statement has drawn criticism from members of the governing coalition, with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo stating soon after that it was “rude and disrespectful to the Executive.”
The PNCR on Friday “condemned outright the attitude and approach” of Gunraj.
“It is disrespectful. As a person who holds constitutional office, clearly Mr. Gunraj lacks the appreciation of decency and fail[s] to recognise that President Granger was showing goodwill and [the] ability to be consultative. It is rather unfortunate that the PPP commissioner cannot relate to these noble values,” the party said in a statement, read by Ryan Belgrave, Chair of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM).
According to Granger, during the meeting, which lasted less than 30 minutes, he assured retired Justice Claudette Singh, the newly-appointed Chair of GECOM, that government will continue to respect the commission’s independence and await its advice on the holding of “credible elections.”
In turn, the Chair committed that once the full commission meets on August 15th, she will communicate its position.
During the meeting, Justice Singh also informed the president that the commission is waiting for ruling from the High Court on the constitutionality of the ongoing house-to-house registration that is being undertaken by GECOM. The ruling is expected tomorrow.
She also indicated that the full commission is yet to meet and that training for Election Day staff would begin on Saturday.
In the face of these realities, Gunraj deemed the meeting “premature.”
