PPP pickets GECOM, High Court
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee and concerned protestors stand in front of the High Court
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee and concerned protestors stand in front of the High Court

THE Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Tuesday staged a protest outside the High Court, and later moved same to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), expressing concerns over the delay in hearing of the election petition, filed months ago.Scores of protestors bearing placards marched in front of the High Court in Georgetown. Some of those placards read: “PPP says Justice is denied”, “Too many irregularities. Let the Petition be heard”, “I want to know what happened to my vote”.

“The petition was filed many months now, and is still to be heard by the High Court. I think there are many Guyanese out there who would like to know that the petition has been heard and a determination is made,” said PPP MP Ganga Persaud. “The delay in (hearing) this petition is not auguring well for the justice system in our country,” he opined.

Persaud compared the PPP’s case with what had obtained in Trinidad and Tobago after that country’s general elections in September last year, and said several petitions were filed in that twin-island republic in regard to the situation. He said a number of those petitions have already been determined by the courts in Trinidad, whereas the PPP is still awaiting a response from the High Court in Guyana. He added, “Only the Chief Justice would be able to comment on the holdup of the petition.”

According to PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, that party’s election petition has been filed in the High Court for now more than a year, but the justice system in Guyana does not see it fit to expedite a petition which is related to the party’s concerns and the reservations of more than half of the voting population of Guyana.

“If the courts can ignore half of the voting population of this country (which is) supporting the PPP, then I would consider that to be unacceptable”, he said.

Rohee said the party has heard remarks about a second term for President David Granger, as well as changes at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “It is the right of the people to elect a government of their choice. It is a constitutional right which many people believe they have been denied. Therefore, the petition should be given priority”, Rohee said.

The PPP says it has put together a powerful batch of lawyers to fight its case, and is very optimistic that despite what the court rules, it will open a new chapter of struggle for the party.

The opposition party had, on August 23, staged another picketing exercise at the High Court for the proceedings on its elections petition to be expedited. The ex-parte application was filed by PPP/C MP Ganga Persaud last June, and its several grounds included claims of multiple voting; voting by unregistered persons; unsealed or improperly sealed ballot boxes; the prevention of PPP/C ballot attendants and counting agents from accompanying ballot boxes; and the counting of PPP/C votes in favour of the APNU+AFC coalition.

Following the High Court protest, the PPP moved to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), calling for non-renewal of the contract of Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield. Rohee told reporters that that protest was because the party wanted Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr. Surujbally, to demit office, and the contract of Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowefield to not be renewed.

Rohee declared that the party would continue to mount protests in relation to reforms it needs to see at GECOM. “Our quarrel with GECOM has nothing to do with personality; it has to do with the system that GECOM uses to supervise the conduct of elections,” Rohee said.

The party believes that some of its objectives were achieved with Dr. Surujbally’s announcement that he intends to resign. “If Surujbally is leaving, implicit in that is that all of our objectives have been achieved,” Rohee declared.

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