FOUR concerns about Saturday’s vote by the Disciplined Services were raised by Christopher Ram, a vocal critic of the current Administration, in a letter to the press, which was published in sections of the media yesterday.

And the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, was emphatic in rubbishing these. “It is total rubbish,” he declared.
Ram in his letter highlighted the fact that President Donald Ramotar and member of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), Dr Frank Anthony, visited Camp Ayanganna to observe the process, thereby violating the provisions of the Representation of the People’s Act.

Section 67 (1) of the law stated that: “The election agent of each group of candidates may appoint one of the candidates…to attend the poll at a polling place.”
Lowenfield told the Guyana Chronicle that all the political parties appointed one of their candidates as an agent and for the purpose of the visit at Camp Ayanganna, Dr Anthony was that agent.
He added that President Ramotar’s presence at the place of poll at the same time does not contravene any law. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with that,” the CEO stressed.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate for the next major political party in the running, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, was also pictured at some of the locations, including at Camp Ayanganna to observe the proceedings.

VOTERS LIST PROVIDED
Ram’s second contention was that the President “was permitted to handle and examine what looks suspiciously like the voters lists” for that particular polling place.
GECOM’s CEO underscored the fact that this was not so, particularly when one considers that all the contesting political parties and their selected representatives were provided with hard copies of the list.
“The lists were provided to the parties and they were posted at the polling places,” he said.
Another senior GECOM official present at Camp Ayanganna confirmed this for the Guyana Chronicle.
RULE OF LAW

The third concern raised by Ram was that, “GECOM unreasonably in my view, last week, decided to deny citizens the right to vote if they choose to do conflicting duty to assist the elections process as party agents” – a reference to the issuance of certificates of employment.
GECOM Commissioners, in the absence of a ruling from the Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang, decided that Certificates of Employment which would allow voting by its holders outside of where they are registered will continue to be issued to the routine group of Election Day staffers as was done in past elections.
The issuance of Certificates of Employment was raised as a concern by the political Opposition, which contends that the certificates should be issued to a wider class. As such, an originating summons was filed by Senior Counsel Ashton Chase. However, Chang determined that the final decision should be made by GECOM.
The Commission’s legal officer, Ms. Juanita Barker, in an earlier comment told the Guyana Chronicle that the court was approached for a definitive pronouncement, given the call for the certificates to be issued to a wide cross-section of E-Day staffers.
She said, “We are seeking an interpretation of article 162:1B of the Representation of the People’s Act. It would determine whether GECOM has authority to issue Certificates of Employment outside of what is stated in the law.
Currently, the law states that Certificates of Employment can be issued to election officials only – meaning the Chief Elections Officer, the Deputy Chief Elections Officer, the Returning Officers, the Deputy Returning Officers, Election Clerks, Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers and poll clerks. Members of the Disciplined Services who are working on Election Day are also issued with Certificates of Employment.

ACCUSATIONS OF POLITICKING
Ram’s last problem was to contend that Mr Ramotar and Dr Anthony engaged in politicking last Saturday.
“Was Mr Ram there?” Lowenfield questioned.
According to the Chief Elections Officer, comments like Ram’s ought to be made with greater consideration of the facts.
Interviews with several other persons, including senior GECOM officials, who were present at locations visited by President Ramotar, including Camp Ayanganna, also rejected this claim.
The consensus was that Ram ought to produce the evidence to support his fallacious claims.
With the ranks of the Disciplined Forces having cast their vote last Saturday, the civilian Guyanese population goes to the polls next Monday, May 11.