-Rohee expresses concerns regarding the process

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced the start of its claims and objections period from Monday August 4, following the end of its sixth cycle of continuous registration.

However, the General-Secretary of the ruling party, Mr. Clement Rohee, has expressed concerns regarding the process.
According to him, on Monday last at a news conference held at Freedom House, stated that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will be studying the constitutional ramifications of GECOM’s announcement, in the absence of any official indication from the President for a national elections or the Minister of Local Government for local government elections.
“GECOM as provided for in the Constitution manages elections; it does not have the mandate to summon an election,” Rohee stressed.
He added that prior to the closure of the sixth cycle of continuous registration the Party had formally registered its concerns to GECOM over the number of persons still to do transfers and sought an extension of the cycle to allow these persons with more time to do these transfers.
“However, surprisingly GECOM denied this request,” Rohee said.
He added: “In this regard the issue of the qualifying date of October 31, 2014 for any citizen who is 18 years of age begs the same question.”
The General-Secretary stated too that also disturbing is that no one is clear, exactly a week before the commencement of the GECOM Claims and Objections period, whether this activity is in anticipation of a general and regional elections or local government elections.
“This issue is of critical importance and GECOM’s silence is deafening. The reasons for the PPP’s concerns are obvious. Local government elections will only involve residents of voting age in the six municipalities and 65 NDCs (Neighbourhood Democratic Councils). In this situation the concerns of the PPP-nominated Commissioners on the GECOM and the PPP that 37,000 voters still have to be placed in constituencies demands to be publicly answered,” he said.
Rohee made it clear that if the Claims and Objection period is in anticipation of a general and regional elections, the requirement of residency is not as stringent and absolute as in the case of local government elections, where voters must be registered and placed in a specific constituency.
“Failing this, they will be disenfranchised both as voters and as potential candidates for an NDC or Municipality if they so desire,” he said, “Recent correspondence from GECOM in fact, makes the issue more confusing as the correspondence speaks of both.”
The General-Secretary stressed that the PPP is deeply concerned about information it has received with regards to the manner in which staff for the Claims and Objections period in the regions have been hired with no public advertisement.
“This is a complete departure from the manner in which registration and election staff have been hired. The PPP calls on all Guyanese in this situation of uncertainties to take nothing for granted. The right to vote at free and fair elections was a long struggle and one that must be preserved at all costs,” he said.
Rohee was emphatic in underscoring the fact that notwithstanding the party’s concerns, all citizens of voting age should take full advantage of the period of Claims and Objections to check the Preliminary Voters’ List and ensure their particulars are correct and placed on the respective divisional list.
He said: “The PPP calls on all citizens of voting age to take full advantage of the period of Claims and Objections period….all persons who have migrated from one community to another and who did register previously must go in to the nearest GECOM office and make the necessary transfer.”
GECOM has, since the announcement, explained that the first 21 days from August 4, 2014 will be assigned for Claims, while eight days including August 4, 2014 are for Objections. Objections can be made for persons who died.
The Claims period will allow persons to do the following business, if needed: Register as a New Registrant, if he/she would be 18 years old or older and if his/her name is not on any of the GECOM’s Preliminary Voters’ Lists; Make changes and corrections to the information which is on the list for him / her; Move his/her particulars from one List to the List for the area where he/she is now living; Apply for a New ID card to replace the one which was lost or misplaced; and Collect one’s National Identification Card if this has not been done as yet from the nearest GECOM office.
“The importance of this exercise cannot be overemphasised since the revised voters’ lists will be developed from the information gathered during this process… the PPP, in closing, reiterates that all Guyanese voters must be vigilant and take this period of Claims and Objections seriously, failure to not do so can result in persons being disenfranchised,” Rohee concluded.
Additionally, GECOM has advised that its Preliminary Voters’ List (PLE) will be placed at strategic public locations within communities.

(By Ravin Sigh)