The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has called on Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh to pronounce on the election body’s preparedness to hold local government polls, while calling the potential involvement of elections officials who have been charged with misconduct in office “unacceptable.”
In a statement issued yesterday, the PSC urged Singh to “speak out and speak plainly about the action being taken to put right all that has gone wrong in GECOM and to do it quickly.”
One of those things which have “gone wrong,” according to the private sector body, is the fact that senior officials of GECOM, including the Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, and a number of other officials are charged before the courts with “misconduct in public office”.
The body noted that despite these charges none of these officers have been dismissed nor have they been suspended from duty.
“It is unthinkable and certainly unacceptable that GECOM should proceed to conduct Local Government Elections while these officers remain employed and involved in the conducting of these elections,” the PSC declared, while calling on Singh to act to prevent further political instability.
“Our country since August 2, 2020, has already begun to progress and prosper from the political stability in place… in spite of the continuing challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be a hugely regressive step, therefore, if the failure of GECOM to properly prepare itself to hold Local Government Elections when they become due, would result in our country, once more, being made to suffer under the threat of further political instability,” it argued.
The PSC took pains to point out that President Irfaan Ali has committed to the holding of the polls when there are due and reminded that he is subject to the advice of the Chair as to whether or when GECOM will be prepared to hold these Elections.
“While we have heard nothing officially from the Office of the President, it is more than probable that President Ali has already enquired of the GECOM Chairman as to the readiness of GECOM to hold these Elections. Sufficient time has passed since the PPP/C government has taken office for the public to be told what is going on in GECOM,” it concluded.
The requests of the PSC align with comments previously made by President Ali in October.
Ali had told reporters that the polls will not be held until the issues which are currently affecting GECOM are fixed.
“…What we have to do is to fix what is there first and we have to ensure that we have a system that is working and a system that people trust and a system that is professional and a system that operates in an unbiased manner so that the people of our country can contribute,” Ali said.
A similar sentiment was expressed by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who told Stabroek News that the holding of the polls next year seems unlikely given the current elections petitions, a call by the opposition for a new voters’ list and police probes of officers of the electoral body.
“By law, local government elections are due next year, but from all indications it does not appear that GECOM will be in a state of readiness for several reasons…,” Nandlall had said.
The PSC yesterday dismissed the contention that the elections petition could impact the Commission’s preparedness.
“Local Government Elections are likely to be due to be held long before the Petition will be heard to finality. The Election Petition cannot be used as a means of delaying or postponing GECOM’s preparedness to hold an election,” it stressed.
According to the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, LGE shall be held once every three years on any date during November 1st to December 7th of the third year, counting from the year in which the term of office of the council started. The date shall be appointed by an order of the Minister of Local Government. Since they were last held on November 11, 2018, the elections are legally due in 2021.
