…files ERC complaint about management ethnic make-up

AFTER contending that 90 per cent of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) workforce is made up of Afro Guyanese, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) appointed commissioners have back peddled on their earlier position, and are now claiming that it is the management of GECOM that is dominated by Afro-Guyanese. Back in 1999 all of GECOM top managers were Indo Guyanese.

In a letter to the Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Reverend Oswald Smith, the PPP-appointed GECOM Commissioners – Robeson Benn; Bibi Shadick and Sase Gunraj – called for an investigation to be launched into the employment practices at the Elections Commission, and the decision of GECOM’s Chairman, Justice (ret’d) James Patterson to use his casting vote to appoint Roxanne Myers to the post of Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) over Vishnu Persaud – the former DCEO.

The request was made pursuant to Article 212D (a), (d) and (p) of the Constitution of Guyana, which allows the ERC to “ a) provide equality of opportunity between persons of different ethnic groups and to promote harmony and good relations between such persons; d) foster a sense of security among all ethnic groups by encouraging and promoting the understanding, acceptance and tolerance of diversity in all aspects of national life and promoting full participation by all ethnic groups in the social, economic, cultural and political life of the people; and, p) investigate on its own accord or on request from the National Assembly or any other body any issues affecting ethnic relations.

In the letter seen by the Guyana Chronicle, the PPP Commissioners, in making their case to the ERC, alluded to the fact that Commissioner Benn had expressed concern about the lack of ethnic diversity in the composition of GECOM’s workforce; however, they attempted to shift the goal post set by their colleague. “Commissioner Robeson Benn, in a presentation in observance of Guyana’s Independence, claimed that over 90 per cent of the senior management of GECOM is Afro-Guyanese descent,” the PPP-appointed Commissioners pointed out, as they attempted to build their case for an investigation.

At a June 5, 2018 meeting of the Commission, Justice (ret’d) Patterson reprimanded Commissioner Benn, noting that unlike the information peddled by him, only 46 per cent of the workforce comprise of Afro-Guyanese. But without hesitation, Commissioner Benn objected.

In the letter, it was noted that following the June 5 meeting, which came to an abrupt end due to disagreements on the ethnic composition of GECOM’s workforce, a report was presented on the sixth and seventh of June, revealing an analysis done by the GECOM’s human resources manager. Though the commissioners referenced to the analysis, they fell short of disclosing the statistics to the ERC.

Turning the ERC’s attention to the appointment of Myers as the DCEO, the PPP commissioners complained about the decision of the GECOM chairman to use his casting vote on the appointment of the DCEO, during a meeting on June 12, 2018.

“This was a result of a deadlock that arose in the recruitment process conducted by members of the subcommittee responsible for interviewing and ranking candidates; this process concluded with Mr. Vishnu Persaud, a person who served as the Deputy Chief Elections Officer for three years, as the first ranked candidate and Ms. Roxanne Myers, as the second ranked candidate,” the PPP commissioners pointed out. According to them, contrary to what transpired at the June 12, 2018 meeting, in all other instances of recruitment, in recent times, all of the first ranked candidates were hired.

“The foregoing is clearly indicative of a larger issue at the Guyana Elections Commission, which can have an adverse effect on ethnic relations and harmony in Guyana,” the commissioners contended.

According to a source close to the ERC, Reverend Smith has acknowledged receipt of the letter from the PPP-nominated commissioners, and it is likely that a comprehensive investigation would be launched shortly. Once the investigation is launched, the GECOM Secretariat will be given an opportunity to make its case.

However, Vincent Alexander – a government-nominated GECOM commissioner – explained to the Guyana Chronicle that Persaud was rejected for rehiring on the grounds of his past performance, his alleged history of misrepresenting his qualifications to the commission, and the fact that Roxanne Myers has “better qualifications” than him.

Alexander said while both Persaud and Myers are both holders of master’s degrees, in the case of Persaud, his Master’s Degree average stands at `D’ while Myers’ stands at `B+’. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).