The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) yesterday issued a statement expressing its satisfaction that there have been developments to hold “recalcitrant” officers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) accountable “for their partial and perverse actions during General and Regional Elections (GRE) 2020.”
The GCCI said that as an accredited observer to the 2020 elections, it witnessed several acts of obfuscation and open defiance to the instructions of the Commission and the Courts, by agents who are duty-bound to uphold the law. “Their open defiance and abdication of their statutory responsibility placed Guyana in a precarious situation where attempts at subverting the will of the people could have placed our country in the league of pariah states”, it said.
And according to the Chamber, the events of Elections 2020 should be used as an incentive to undertake the necessary reforms to the electoral process and urged the leadership of Guyana to ensure that the electoral reform process is undertaken, “with greatest of urgency.” It also expects the input of stakeholders across the board so as to be able to solicit ideas on the strongest sets of reforms possible.
“It is imperative that these reforms are undertaken to ensure that the inalienable rights of every citizen of Guyana are protected, and that our democracy – a pre-condition to a growing economy – is fortified in its safeguarding,” the release also stated.
