THE timelines for the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOMs) 2019 work programme, which include fresh house-to-house registration, is expected to be presented to the full commission today.

This is according to Commissioner Desmond Trotman who said that the timelines will be presented by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and staff.
“Because they designed the timelines, they will be presenting that for approval,” he said, while a guest on the Walter Rodney Groundings television programme on Sunday, February 24, 2019.

He continued: “The 2019 programme included house-to-house registration as an important element, and so the Chief Elections Officer understood that he and his staff will have to sit down and advise the Commission, on how they will proceed with that 2019 programme. So, they’ll be coming to us on Tuesday will all of the timelines.”

Trotman said that, when the timelines are presented, he is confident that approval will be given and that work will go forward in a quicker pace than at present.

During the programme, the commissioner also gave an account of the meeting between the Commission and the Chiefs of Mission of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and European Union.

While all Commissioners would have made presentations, Trotman said it was clear that when one Opposition-nominated Commissioner spoke, he attempted to lay a foundation before the diplomats which he (Trotman) found to be “sickening”.
“The most sickening incident, for me, was when Commissioner Benn sought to prostrate himself before the visitors and to say to them, ‘look, this is the situation and it’s y’all got to save us from what’s going to happen’,” Trotman said.

“In effect, he was inviting them to be the new colonial masters and the PPP were prepared to be the puppets of the colonial masters. The thing was sickening. I don’t even know if it is that he understood what it is he was doing, not only to himself, but to the party and to the country as a whole.”

Trotman noted that, from such occurrences, and others witnessed, it was obvious that the Opposition’s motives lack the interest of citizens.
He reminded that Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, at his last press conference, stated that People’s Progressive Party (PPP) parliamentarians, at this time, will not be voting for an extension of the 90-day time period.

This is even as GECOM has stated clearly that it cannot facilitate General and Regional Elections in 90 days and does not have the necessary funds to do such.
Nonetheless, Trotman said that he and other likeminded Commissioners will continue to represent the interested of the people and the fundamental right, of all eligible, to vote.

“When GECOM sits down, to determine the way forward, what is first in my mind is the interest of the people and I am going to represent the interest of the people. It seems to me that the interest of the people conflicts with the interest of the PPP commissioners and Jagdeo,” he said.

“The interest of the people of this county is paramount to Commissioners Corbin, Alexander and myself. And, not withstanding what Jagdeo says, we are going to continue to argue for the interest of the people to be placed first and foremost before any party interest.”