Vishnu denies misrepresenting qualifications
Former GECOM DCEO, Vishnu Persaud
Former GECOM DCEO, Vishnu Persaud

–says masters obtained from accredited British university

FORMER Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) Vishnu Persaud has refuted allegations that he misrepresented his qualifications while employed at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

He’s also rubbished claims that he received a Masters in Elections Management from the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) or any other affiliated institution.
In a letter to the editor published in Saturday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, Persaud said, “I read for, and was awarded, a Masters of Business Administration by the Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom.” On June 15, 2018, the Guyana Chronicle, in an article titled “Vishnu obtained Masters from a Training Centre”, eroneously noted that Persaud’s Masters is a combination of elections-related training courses which he obtained from the ICPS and not an accredited university.

**The error, for which the Guyana Chronicle sincerely apologises, was based on information provided the Guyana Chronicle by a source at GECOM, and elicited an immediate response from Persaud.
“This is an outrageous, malicious and outright lie, which is obviously aimed at discrediting my suitability for the position in question. I do not have, and I never claimed to have, a Masters in Elections Management from the ICPS or any other Institution,” the former DCEO said in his letter to the editor.

On Tuesday last, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (ret’d) James Patterson used his casting vote to reject the hiring of Persaud, an act which the opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has deemed to be discriminatory.
One day later, longstanding GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle that Persaud was rejected on the grounds of his past performance, his history of misrepresenting his qualifications to the Commission, and the fact that Roxanne Myers, the second-ranked candidate for the post had “better qualifications” than he.

THREE-THREE SPLIT
Alexander said that Justice Patterson’s decision arose because three commissioners supported Persaud’s appointment, while the other three supported the appointment of Myers. “It was left up to the Chairman to cast his vote, and he casted his vote in favour of Myers,” Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle.

He, however, conceded that Persaud did have the highest average score among the interviewees, but sought to explain the interviewing process.
The interviewers were Opposition Commissioners Bibi Shadick and Robeson Benn, while Alexander and Desmond Trotman represented the government.

A recommendation was not made as to whom to appoint to the post, given that there was a split in votes. Initially, on the sub-committee, there was a two-two split, and when the matter was placed before the Commission, there was a three-three split therefore leaving it up to the Chairman to cast his vote.

“He [Justice Patterson] objected to Vishnu based on past performance, based on the other candidate having better qualifications and based on the history of misrepresentation of qualifications to the Commission,” Alexander told the Guyana Chronicle.

He also acknowledged that both Persaud and Myers are the holders of Masters Degrees.
The PPP has described the former DCEO as eminently qualified for the post and a person who has an unblemished record, but Alexander assured this publication that Persaud’s “past performance” came into question.

He said, too, that 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).

BETTER QUALIFIED
But Saturday, Persaud said the notion that Myers has better qualifications than he was uttered without a comparison of the qualifications on the two candidates in relation to the criteria outlined in the advertisement for the post of DCEO. He explained that the Commission asked for candidates to be holders of a post-graduate degree.

Said he: “It is confirmed that both of the concerned candidates have Master’s Degrees. I have a Master’s in Business Administration from the Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom.”

And in the area of qualification in Elections Management, Persaud said he holds a Level 5 Certificate in Management & Leadership, with specific expertise in electoral processes. This certificate was issued by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) – UK through the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) in the UK. “This is a successor qualification to the Professional Certificate in Electoral Processes which is conducted by the ICPS and in which I participated in London, UK. The Level 5 Certificate is equivalent to Higher National Diplomas (HND) in the U,” Persaud explained.

He said, too, that he attended two Commonwealth Secretariat one-week training courses in Elections Management in New Delhi, India, and in Kingston, Jamaica respectively.
And as it relates to experience in the management of national elections, Persaud sought to remind his detractors that he was the substantive DCEO for three years, with responsibility for Operations, during which the 2015 General and Regional Elections and 2016 Local Government Elections were conducted.

“It is important to remind here that I also carried the full responsibilities of C&VE, and Human Resources to a lesser extent, during my tenure as DCEO. Also, I beg to submit that all of the responsibilities as described above speak to my knowledge experience in electoral processes,” Persaud said in his missive, while noting that he has excellent oral and written communication skills.

He also holds a Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and served over 12 years as GECOM’s Public Relations Officer.
Given the aforementioned, Persaud has called for the “facts be put forward to prove that the “other candidate has better qualifications”.

NO MISREPRESENTATION
Meanwhile, the former GECOM DCEO made it clear that he has never misrepresented his qualifications at any time to GECOM. He said that during Alexander’s tenure as Commissioner at GECOM, he submitted applications with Curriculum Vitaes twice for the post of DECO, this being in 2014 and 2017 respectively. “On both occasions,” he said, “I presented to the Commission certificates in support of my qualifications documented in the respective CVs.

“Should I have misrepresented myself in any manner, I submit that would have been sufficiently egregious a transgression to warrant my immediate dismissal with prejudice.
“Let it be known, this was not done, and I have no reprimand on my personnel file.”
Persaud maintains that he has always conducted himself professionally without fear or favour, and without bias in any area or level of his responsibilities.
“This was, and will always remain, the definition of my core as a human being and a professional which I will steadfastly defend,” he stated.

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