PSC establishing Operations Centre to help maintain peace
– praises GECOM as a ‘world class elections body’
THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday called for “mature and responsible” behaviour during the upcoming elections and announced that an ‘Operations Centre’ will be established, on Sunday, to help keep the peace and maintain good order. The announcement was made at a press conference in the PSC office, Waterloo Street, Georgetown.
Present were PSC Chairman Ramesh Dookhoo; Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Kumar Ramnauth; GCCI Chairman Ian Caesar; President of Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GM&SA) Clinton Williams; President of the Guyana Association of Private Security Organisations (GAPSO) Major General Norman Mc Lean and Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) representative Christopher (Kit) Nascimento.
According to Mc Lean, the centre will be manned seven days a week, 24 hours a day, “until everything is fully cleared and we are satisfied that things are moving as they should.”

He said the centre will have all the maps for the different electoral districts, as well as status boards and preparation of plans with communications for people who are going out to look at what is taking place.
Furthermore, it will be linked with the Police Command Centre and other bodies so that proper monitoring could take place.
Questioned about the recent meeting with Police Commissioner Henry Greene, Mc Lean said: “We were very impressed. We met not only with him but all the divisional commanders and some of the senior operations commanders. We were very impressed with their organisation and the detail with which they already covered for the elections. We left there without any concerns for the Police plan of action and their operations. We left there more than satisfied.”
He disclosed that offers were even made to help the Police in any way possible and, hence, a number of businesses will be rendering assistance in the form of transportation, and otherwise, to them.

PEACE MESSAGE
In the Commission’s further quest to see a “non-violent post election period,” Dookhoo said it is the PSC’s intention to have all party candidates do a peace message on elections night “if we can get them to say, to Guyana, we have fought a good fight. Accept the results of the elections. Let there be peace.”
He expressed optimism that the elections period will be “very peaceful” and praised the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as a “world class elections body.”
“We’re gonna work as hard as possible to achieve that with the law enforcement agencies, the Government of Guyana and all the political parties,” he said.
Dookhoo stressed that the results of the elections cannot be declared on the same day or night, as has been perceived by some members of the public. “It is legally not permitted,” he stated, after consulting with a document from GECOM.
Mc Llean concurred, adding: “It is practically impossible for the results to be declared by midnight Elections Day. Don’t let’s fool people and have these high expectations. It is also a logistical impossibility because it is not physically possible.”
Reading from a media release, Dookhoo said the Commission wishes to express its strong disapproval of the statements in the press which suggest that one party contesting the elections may be hatching plans to rig the 2011 elections and that the observer teams may not be credible.
“The PSC considers these statements highly irresponsible. The commission wishes to assert that it has full confidence in GECOM to conduct free and fair elections. This was especially reinforced by the meeting with GECOM on November 21.
“The political parties have signed a Code of Conduct which governs their behaviour before, during and after these elections and unfounded claims, such as those being made, have a real potential to derail a peaceful process of voting,” he cautioned.
On the suggestion that Elections Day being proclaimed a holiday, Dookhoo said the Commission supports it and has even relayed it to Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee and other officials.
Alluding to the timing of the elections, Ramnauth said the business sector was quite concerned about it, but heard no reports suggesting that there has been a decline in business.