USAID awards EAB US$217,235 grant for 2011 elections
THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID), under its Governance Enhancement Project on Tuesday, awarded a grant of US$217,235 to the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) in Guyana. The Grant goes towards the financing of EAB support for the 2011 general and regional elections, with an emphasis on Election Day activities at polling stations across the country.
Speaking on the occasion, in the Woodbine Room of Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown, USAID Mission Director, Ms. Carol Horning said: “I am very pleased to be here, representing the United States Agency for International Development, to award a grant to the Electoral Assistance Bureau to support Guyanese observation of this year’s elections.”
She said this year can be considered an important year for both Guyana and USAID.
“Guyana will be holding General and Regional elections which, we hope, will be free, fair and violence free as were those held in 2006. The year 2011 is also a significant year for USAID as we celebrate 50 years of development support to countries spread across the globe,” Horning said. 
She noted that, over the years, USAID has, consistently and significantly, supported activities that promote the achievement of free, fair and violence free elections, with particular emphasis on transparency of the electoral process and equal access of all citizens to exercise their right to vote.
The money will be used to recruit, train, deploy and otherwise support over 2,000 individuals who will observe Elections Day procedures, the diplomat stated.
This includes the counting of ballots, establishing a real time regional communication system with EAB, monitoring activities throughout Guyana during the pre-elections and post-elections day periods, maintaining a dialogue with elections officials, political parties and other stakeholders on issues as they arise during the election period and also provide an analysis of the electoral process, by means of a comprehensive post-elections report.
“A cornerstone of a vibrant democratic electoral process is the ability of citizens to observe and comment on the process both credibly and knowledgably,” Horning pointed out.

IMPORTANT COMPONENT
She said this was an important component of the 2006 elections that contributed to its success and it is the hope of USAID that this grant will assist in making this year’s elections process a successful one, once more, thereby establishing a trend of free, fair and violence free elections.
Chairman of the EAB, Father Malcolm Rodrigues observed that, while the  organisation has received support from various others, USAID must be commended for,  once again, among many others, stepping up to the task and making a significant contribution to the development of Guyana.
“In a real sense, we are grateful for all the donors and, mostly, we are grateful for the support that was given to us to have the observers on board, given that this is an important role during this period, only possible with the support of the USAID,” he said.
Rodrigues remarked that it is only fair to have 100 percent accuracy around this time, as it relates to the various activities that will be undertaken throughout the elections period in Guyana and this grant is expected to play a key role in maintaining it.
He said it is anticipated that greater citizens’ involvement in the electoral processes will contribute to free, fair and transparent elections, engender national trust in the elections and contribute to the non-violent resolution of any disputes.  
“What we will have is a group of these trained persons at the various polling stations checking and collecting statements from them and these resources would not have been possible without our donors,” Rodrigues acknowledged to the media.
He added: “I could remember sometime ago when I was a part of one of these training sessions in the riverine areas, one woman walked for a long distance just to be a part of it and this should be an encouragement.”
Rodrigues said training the observers, equipping them for the task and getting them to the various outlets, bringing in reports and issuing them are just a few of the things for what the grant caters.

PAST EXPERIENCES
The EAB was selected for this funding due to its past experiences in successfully organising monitoring efforts and the base of community support it enjoys among the business community, faith-based organisations, trade unions and individuals.
In its role as an accredited local observer organisation for the 2006 elections, the EAB mobilised more than 2,000 volunteers who manned the hotlines and trained observers, observed elections (both at polling places and as roving supervisors) and gave freely of their time and resources to serve as supervisors.
As an observer group, with local observers at many of the polling places, the EAB garnered useful insight and information over and above the normal requirements of visiting observers.
Its contribution to the restoration of democracy in Guyana has been noted in the U.S. Congressional Record and attested to, as well, by the Carter Centre, the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the Guyanese people, themselves. 
The nationwide appeal and the overwhelming response from persons of all ethnic backgrounds and walks of life (especially the youths), was of significant importance to the successful implementation of many of the activities of EAB in 2006 and to free, fair and violence free elections.