‘It’s frustrating!’ – says Dr. Surujbally
AS the time for  elections draws near, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Dr. Steve Surujbally, said there are some 43,187 identification (ID) cards still to be collected.
He stressed that these are not voting cards and pointed out that the constitutional requirement to vote is to be registered, not necessarily to be in possession of an identification card.
The GECOM Chairman, speaking at a news conference at Hotel Tower yesterday, pointed out that persons voted without identification cards in 2001 and 2006, and stressed that no one will be disenfranchised.
However, Surujbally noted that as a Guyanese citizen, a national identification card is an important document and there are many uses for which they are necessary.
He added that the decommissioning of the old identification cards (the red and green cards produced before 2010) will be done soon, although he could not give an exact date.
What he did say was that the matter is engaging the attention of the commission and will be done, since it is not correct to have three identification cards “floating around” at any one time.

“GECOM will decommission all ID cards (red and green) that were issued prior to the 2008 House-to-House Registration exercise.  The decommissioning of the ‘red’ and ‘green’ ID Cards means that these cards will no longer be valid. This will mean that those persons who have not uplifted their ID cards, and those who are not now registered, would be without a valid means of identification,” the GECOM Chairman declared.

He also hastened to add that ID cards do have a shelf life.  Some of the current ‘green’ ID cards are in fact over 10 years old – during which time the features of the ID card holders would have changed.

“It is patently indefensible not to agree that there should not be three different types of ID Cards in circulation at election time,” Surujbally said.
The GECOM chairman noted that public awareness is ongoing and takes the form of notices, infomercials and the commission’s updated website.

“We have published, and continue to publish, notices via the print and electronic media informing of this imminent eventuality and emphasizing that it is absolutely urgent for persons who have not collected their ID cards as yet to do so immediately.

“I can now report that our efforts have resulted in a considerable amount of ID cards which were remaining from the  2008 House-to-House Registration exercise, have been uplifted in addition to cards produced from the Claims and Objections exercise for Local Government Elections and the second Cycle of Continuous Registration (September-December, 2010).”
“But too many still remain in our possession,” Surujbally said.

He, however, assured that the Commission will not let up in its efforts to deliver as many ID Cards as possible before the upcoming elections.

Surujbally also told yesterday’s news conference that, up to the end of the claims and objections period, another 80,000 Guyanese have been registered.

The chairman disclosed that the period saw some 866 objections raised, but noted that many of these are being withdrawn. According to him, each objection is being investigated.
Surujbally added that the commission is continuing its work to be ready for the hosting of national and regional elections this year. (Vanessa Narine)