– PPP/C urges GECOM to get tough on political parties who refuse to sign
THE opposition ‘A Partnership for National Unity’ (APNU) yesterday announced that its officials do not intend to sign the Code of Conduct for political parties prepared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
The refusal is in view of its ‘deficiency’ and what APNU calls “central issues” and “abuses” that the Code “fails to address”.
The announcement, at a press conference at its Regent Street, Georgetown office, was made by APNU’s executive member Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, who said the document “ignores two vital areas in electoral conduct.”
He said one of the issues has to do with campaign financing while the other is about access to the media.
“It is as easy to sign a Code of Conduct and violate all of its principles as it is not to sign a Code of Conduct and conduct a campaign of decorum and dignity. APNU is conducting a campaign according to the highest standards,” he declared.
“We do not intend to sign any Code of Conduct that is deficient and one that is clearly being treated like just a scrap of paper by the very people who have signed it, who are threatening other people if they don’t sign it,” Roopnarine told reporters.
In relation to that, GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Vishnu Persaud, in an invited comment on the telephone yesterday, said the draft code was sent to all political parties for comments before any possible amendments can be made for them to endorse.
He said, to his knowledge, GECOM has, so far,  only received comments from the PPP/C and he was not aware that other parties have raised specific issues with the code.

OPTIMISTIC

Persaud said, while the other parties may have submitted comments, the draft is still before the Commission and he is optimistic that the concerns will be dealt with at today’s statutory meeting.
APNU officials also declared yesterday that the run-up to November 28 “is not going to be smooth and easy” if GECOM insists on retaining Returning Officer for Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Mr. Jaigobin Mohabir.
The executives accused GECOM of allowing the PPP/C to get away with offences “on every possible occasion.”
One of them, Mr. Desmond Trotman, declared that APNU finds Mohabir unacceptable after he was previously identified, by Justice Claudette Singh, as a person who had committed grave illegalities.
But GECOM’s PRO Persaud expressing astonishment at APNU’s attitude towards Mohabir, said that party’s declaration is a political statement on which he did not wish to comment further.
GECOM had decided, by majority vote, not to sack Mohabir although the two major opposition parties, APNU and the Alliance for Change (AFC) have vowed to intensify pressure to have him removed.
For the GECOM decision, the Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally had cast the deciding vote.
Persaud said the Commission will do all that falls within its responsibilities so that free, fair and transparent elections could be realised and it is following its work plan, for which the procedures are well on stream.

PPP/C urges GECOM to get tough

Meanwhile, Executive Committee Member of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Mr. Robert Persaud, at a press conference at the party’s Freedom House headquarters on Friday last, said the PPP/C is urging GECOM to get tough on political parties who refuse to sign the elections code of conduct.
“We have written to the Guyana Elections Commission pointing this out and we have urged GECOM to be very firm and tough,” said Persaud, who is also the current Agriculture Minister.
Lamenting vandalism of PPP/C billboards and other materials and threats to the PPP/C campaign staff, Persaud made it clear that the refusal by political parties to sign on to the code of conduct is sending a signal to supporters of those parties that it is “ok to carry out acts of vandalism”.

“Since our last letter (to GECOM), we believe that the seriousness has not been given to this situation and if we do not nip it in the bud, the situation can get out of hand,” Persaud warns.

“I want to call on GECOM and other stakeholders to demand of the Opposition political parties that they sign the code of conduct with immediate effect and not to reject it outrightly as they have done, because what they are doing is that they are sending a signal to the supporters that it is ok to carry out acts of vandalism,” Persaud said.
Speaking of the acts of vandalism and threats to the PPP/C activists while on the campaign trail, Minister Persaud said, “We intend to, at the appropriate time, make available the video evidence of these activities that are taking place. We are urging that GECOM and other stakeholders demand that the parties sign the code of conduct if they are interested in peaceful and free and fair elections.”