Dear Editor,
At GECOM’s commission meeting today, September 19, 2022 a decision was taken to appoint a GECOM retiree to the position of Assistant Chief Election Officer. I distanced myself from that decision for the following reasons:
1. The Commission advertised and received applications.
2. The Commissioners shortlisted the applicants based on the stipulated qualifications.
3. Commissioners were then advised of the need to re-advertise on the grounds that the applicants did not meet the requirements.
4. At the insistence of some Commissioners it was decided to include in the re-advertisement that previous applicants needed not reapply.
5. Of the new applicants only one person was shortlisted.
6. All of the persons finally shortlisted were from the original list of applicants, although they were previously deemed ineligible.
7. The one other applicant who was shortlisted turned out to be the preferred applicant for the job by a majority vote of the PPP/C nominated Commissioners and the Chair.
8. The re-advertisement was baseless and unnecessary, since five original applicants were eminently qualified for the job.
9. The inclusion of new applicants corrupted the process. The emergence of that new applicant as the preferred applicant was contrived, hence I am distancing myself from the process and its outcome.
Sincerely,
Vincent Alexander
GECOM
Commissioner