‘Cheap politics’
GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander
GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander

…Alexander dismisses PPP’s electoral fraud allegations
—threatening legal actions against Jagdeo

GUYANA Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner Vincent Alexander has stated that he is in consultation with his lawyers following the public accusations of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo that he is involved in electoral fraud.

“Vincent Alexander is part of the plot to rig the elections. Vincent Alexander was one of the architects of the plot to rig the elections and it’s being unfolded now,” were the words of Jagdeo on Wednesday.

Jagdeo had claimed that Region Four Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo’s second declaration was deemed fraudulent when, in fact, the High Court has ruled only on the first. While on the matter, he turned his attention to Alexander displeased that he had upheld this position on separate occasions.

I CAN STAND UP TO SCRUTINY

Asked to respond to the opposition leader’s comments on Thursday, Alexander said: “These are what I call cheap political points at this time and, given what Mr. Jagdeo said, I’m in the process of conferring with my lawyers.”

He pointed out that it is ironic that a draft Order which came from Commissioner Sase Gunraj and which PPP/C executive Anil Nandlall claimed in public to be a draft Order coming from the PPP/C, acknowledges the existence of Mingo’s second declaration.

“We have an Order which recognises the existence of that declaration and so, how could one singularly accuse Alexander when collectively the commission has embraced the Order in so far as putting it into a legal document recognising its existence,” Alexander reasoned.

Alexander defines fraud as an act of deception intended for personal and financial gain. He said that it is not his belief that any cmmissioner is in the position to commit electoral fraud as the directives of the Commission come out of their collective deliberation.

Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo

The Commission is made up of three government-nominated and three opposition-nominated commissionersc along with the GECOM chair.

“No individual there can take information and deceive and bring about a false understanding in the pursuit of personal gain and or financial gain,” he said. “I am quite certain that there is absolutely no personal gain to be derived by me, I am not actively involved in the political landscape and my job, as I understand it, is a constitutional officer to work towards the realisation of the Constitution.”

Furthermore, the commissioner stated that he has served on the commission for 13 years and, prior to that, worked at the University of Guyana for 35 years and his reputation can withstand scrutiny.

PAST ELECTORAL FRAUD

He said that when it comes to actual electoral fraud, he believes that such has occurred in the past and the commission has avoided addressing these matters head on.

The person Alexander believes has displayed the most glaring action in this regard is that of former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Gocool Boodhoo.

“Mr. Gocool Boodhoo reported to the commission in 2011 that no certificates of employment were being issued to parties’ polling agents. The commission took a decision that he should not act on that matter pending its determination and the ccmmission finally determined that it will not issue certificates of employment to party polling agents. I have evidence, having witnessed at the Alexander Village Nursery located in West Ruimveldt, that PPP agents were in fact issued with certificates of employment. I was subsequently advised by an employee of GECOM where the instructions had come from. But whether they had come from him or not, he was ultimately responsible. The commission took no action on the matter,” Alexander said.

He stated further that in the same year Boodhoo brought false results to the commission and when challenged, argued that he was correct and it was only as a result of the capacity of commissioners on understanding the law that he changed the result. This too, Alexander noted, he has documented evidence of which he brought to the commission.

However, he said that PPP/C Commissioners disregarded the incident on the basis that they were able to catch the ‘error’ and Boodhoo continued in the said office for 2-3 years.

He also spoke to the 2015 Local Government Elections incident, whereby proxy voting was approved using the wrong methodology in Region One and this was said to be under investigation by GECOM, but nothing became of it.

Alexander believes that the biggest problem is the composition of the commission. “To a large extent, unless the chairman takes a position, people just line up on one or the other side and there’s no scope for a majority decision on the matter,” he said.

Questioned on this matter, Commissioner Gunraj said that, in relation to the proxy matter, he is aware that an investigation was conducted and when it came to the commission it was declared to be a “non-issue.”

The media also questioned Gunraj on the commission’s failure to investigate the report of former GECOM Chair Dr. Steve Surujbally that fake Statement of Polls (SOPs) were used in the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

He said that although it has been five years since, he is still interested in its resolution. “I can tell you that issue was never raised with Justice Singh; it might have been raised only tangentially with Patterson [former GECOM Chair]…while I do not reject the idea that GECOM is not without blame and is perhaps very blame worthy in the diligent prosecution of that issue, perhaps, the court which is charged with responsibility of dealing with that also should take some blame, because five years later the petition which ought to have had those issues ventilated have not been heard.”

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