…says Ramotar, as almost 7000 voters added to list during extended claims and objections period
ONCE again, the People’s Progressive Party/C has shown that it is a champion of people’s rights in this country, and that it will continue to promote the rights of citizens at all costs. PPP/Presidential Candidate and General Secretary, Donald Ramotar, made this pronouncement yesterday during a press briefing at the party’s headquarters, when he emphasized the importance of the re-opening of the claims and objections period by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
The period of claims that GECOM re-opened on the July 26 came to an end on August 3, and as a result, 6,860 persons have been verified and added to the voters list.
As to the implications of this, Ramotar said, “The figures show that this was something that was across the board in every region; you had people who were left off the list; our position was correct that they did not do it because they did not have the source documents at that point in time.”
According to Ramotar, this shows that the PPP/C position on reopening the claims and objection period has been vindicated.
In addition to the numbers that have been verified already, GECOM still has about 250 more registrants to be verified before they are placed on the list, which will take the number to just about 7000 persons who have benefitted from the process.
“I want to point out that the Alliance For Change (AFC) voted against the re-opening of the claims and objections period in Parliament, which very clearly shows that they wanted to disenfranchise more than 7000 persons who had qualified to be on the list… this was a deliberate attempt,” Ramotar stressed.
He noted too that the People’s National Congress (PNC) was also “vociferous” in their opposition; however they were “much more clever” than the AFC in this case, as they voted in the National Assembly for re-opening of the registration.
Ramotar also took the opportunity to highlight that persons from all across the country would have been disenfranchised, as the problem was not confined to one particular area or constituency.
He explained, “The opposition disputed that with us, but I have seen in Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica) about 1,600 persons so far who have been registered; they were also claiming that most of those persons left off of the list were supporters of the PPP, but in areas where they got votes traditionally like South Georgetown, you got quite a number of people also being registered as well.”
He also affirmed that the PPP/C’s position on the issue was not partisan, but was rather rooted in the concern that persons were given the right to get on the list and exercise their franchise.
Alluding to the implications of the decision taken by the party to re-open the claims and objections period, thereby giving even more persons the opportunity to get on the voters list, he said, “It shows that our party is the only party with its foot very firmly on the ground, and really knows what is happening, and some of the issues with the people.”
Addressing concerns over the number of persons that were still not captured by the now closed claims period and its implications, Ramotar acknowledged that while there are those who still did not get their birth certificates on time, the “bulk of the people” are on the list.
“We are not asking to re-open this again… but this would have been 7000 that would not have had the opportunity to cast their ballots,” he stated.

According to the PPP/C Presidential Candidate, he would not be able to pronounce on when National Elections will be held until GECOM indicates its readiness, after which President Bharrat Jagdeo will decide on the day.
In explaining, he said, “We can’t do this without, first of all, the Guyana Elections Commission saying when they will be ready.”
He noted that because of the nature of the situation, if elections needed to be held in December, then it will have to be so.
“If it is unavoidable, then we will have to have it; we have had elections in December many times before, while I don’t think it is desirable, only if is it absolutely necessary, then I think it will be like that,” Ramotar said.
GECOM had earlier said that it would be ready for the polls by mid-October, but that was before the re-opening of the claims and objections exercise which ended on June 9.
The second phase of the exercise began on July 25, and was set to run 13 days, in order to allow those persons who may have obtained birth certificates late to become registered to vote.