…major division among PSC execs, members over national recount 

ALTHOUGH the Private Sector Commission (PSC), which represents a wide cross-section of businesses and corporations, made a broad statement on Monday that a national recount is a “waste of time”, evidence shows that not all members hold the same view.

In fact, a quick check by this newspaper showed that executives of the PSC, in very recent times, called on numerous occasions for a national recount. As such, questions are now being raised about the motive and authors behind the switch.

Chairman of the PSC, Captain Gerald ‘Gerry’ Gouveia, just one day before the release sent out on Monday, had called for the said recount. In a Facebook post on April 5, 2020 and above an article from the Guyana Times captioned ‘Every vote must be counted for transparent, credible results – Canadian diplomat’, the PSC head wrote: “Plain and simple. Count every single vote in every single box in every single region in a transparent manner under the supervision of international and local observers”

On April 4, 2020, in a list of 9 things he said “baffled” him, listed at number 5 was: “People who are being blind and deaf to the words and pronouncements from almost every corner of the globe calling on GECOM to recount every single ballot in every single box in every single region.” More evidence readily available on the Chairman’s Facebook Page shows him accusing the coalition government of “trying to block transparency” and “delaying the installation of a legitimate government” under a Newsroom article titled: ‘Coalition candidate appealing Full Court decision to throw out injunctions blocking recount’.

On March 28, 2020 the PSC head updated his Facebook cover photo as: “Count the votes!!!”. On March 27, he stated: “…there is no credible Region 4 results which means there is no national result which means we have to count every vote in every box under the supervision of an international task force of elections inspectors”.

Gouveia, who is the face of the PSC and the final approver of all press releases which go to the media, is not the only member to have called for a recount prior to the release. A joint statement on March 28, 2020 by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), called for same.
The GCCI is headed by its President Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer who is an active representing member of the PSC. The joint release stated: “Every vote must count and transparency and democratic values must at all times remain sacrosanct in our country…we believe that the only immediately available panacea to this impasse that would bring a credible conclusion to our election process is the national recount of all ballots, verified by independent local and international observers, and supervised by a trusted independent arbiter, such as CARICOM, which has already been committed to by the Chair of GECOM.”

In a separate release on behalf of the GCCI on March 19, a public letter signed by Deygoo-Boyer and addressing the GECOM Chair stated: “Justice Singh, you have an intimate knowledge of the Constitution and you know that the only way to have a credible election is for GECOM to undertake a free, fair and transparent process for the tallying of Region 4 results, as well as a complete recount of all other regions if that is the threshold that satisfies the public.”

Meanwhile, outspoken Member of the PSC, Kit Nascimento, in a letter addressing disagreements he had with the sentiments of former Georgetown Mayor, Hamilton Greene, dared the governing coalition to conduct a national recount.

“I end by asking a simple question. If indeed the APNU+AFC believe that the declaration of the results in other Regions such as 3, 6 and 5, are questionable, then why the resistance to holding a recount of all 10 Districts under the supervision of a Caribbean presence?” he stated in a letter dated March 24, 2020.

PSC representing members such as Deodat Indar and Annette Arjoon have also shown support for a national recount on their social media pages responding positively to previous efforts towards and international calls for a national recount.

Other members of the PSC include: Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana; American Chamber of Commerce – Guyana (AmCham Guyana); Bartica Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development; Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce; Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry; Forest Products Association of Guyana; Guyana Association of Bankers; Guyana Association of Private Security Organisations; Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA); Guyana Rice Exporters and Millers Association; Guycraft Producers Association; Insitute of Private Enterprise Development; Linden Chamber of Commerce; National Air Transport Association; National Aquaculture Association of Guyana; Rupununi Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Shipping Association of Guyana and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana.
It is unclear whether they too believe in the PSC’s quick switch remark on Monday: “…it would be an entire waste of time and wholly unnecessary for GECOM to conduct a recount of the ballots cast in any District other than District 4. The PSC holds that any request to extend the recount to Districts other than District 4 to be a deliberate, unreasonable and unacceptable attempt to delay the conclusion of the recount and urges GECOM to confine a recount to District 4.”