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PLEASE allow me to make some comments and pose some questions about the Guyana Elections Commission and more specifically, about the independence of its Chairman Dr. Surujbally and its Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Gocool Boodhoo. I recall recently reading a letter in the press by one Sundar Nauth who made some very important points about the importance of an independent Elections Commission and what that independence has thus far given to Guyana, namely political peace and stability, economic prosperity and a maturing democracy.
I clearly recall, and I know that the majority of Guyanese will also recall that following the announcement of the results of the 2011 elections, the entire opposition was very vocal in their call for the removal of both the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission.
I also recall and again I am sure that the majority of Guyanese would also recall that Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr, Surujbally, several times in the presence of distinguished dignitaries, both local and foreign, made clear pronouncements on the importance of the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Now, according to reports in the media, the Opposition are up in arms against the renewal of the Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Gocool Boodhoo’s contract based on one genuine human mistake he made in the calculation of the allocation of seats, a mistake when taking into consideration the checks and balances in place at the Commission, is impossible to go unnoticed and which by no stretch of the imagination could have ever been intentional.
I recall, and many would also recall that no other than Dr. Surujbally came to the defence of Mr.Boodhoo when the opposition accused him of making a deliberate mistake in favour of the PPP/C.
Mr. Boodhoo has been the Chief Elections Officer for three elections and his contract has been renewed each time without any objections from any of the opposition’s commissioners, including Mr. Vincent Alexander, who was the PNC’s campaign manager for the 2006 elections. As campaign manager for the PNC during the 2006 election campaign Mr. Alexander would have had first- hand information about any misconduct on the part of Mr. Boodhoo. It would be interesting to note the fact that Mr. Alexander was appointed a Commissioner from the Opposition before Mr. Boodhoo’s last contract renewal and he did not have any objection to this renewal. It is therefore clear as the light of day that had there been any misconduct on the part of Mr. Boodhoo, Mr. Alexander would not have sat quietly and not object to his then contract renewal.
Even more interesting, is the fact that even as the opposition, demands that Mr. Boodhoo’s contract be not renewed, they cannot produce evidence of a single instance of misconduct by him to support their demand.
The logical conclusion therefore is that Mr. Gocool Boodhoo has indeed served his country with distinction and the current campaign against him is clearly politically motivated. This does not help with the maintenance of the independence of a most critical institution of stability of this nation of ours.
My understanding is that the Chairman, Dr. Surujbally, has so far failed to complete Mr. Boodhoo’s performance appraisal as Chief Elections Officer for the duration of his last contract period, the only grounds upon which his request for the renewal of his contract must be considered. In fact, Mr. Boodhoo should have been appraised many months ago, but strange enough this has not been done. There are therefore serious questions that must be posed to the chairman since the buck stops at him on this issue. The questions to be asked are:
* Has Dr. Surujbally failed in the execution of his duties as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission in not completing Mr. Boodhoo’s performance appraisal?
* Can this be considered a dereliction of his duty?
* Is this a convenient failure?
* Since this matter became a contentious one, what steps has Dr. Surujbally taken to have it addressed?
* If nothing is being done, what are the reasons?
* If no plausible explanation can be given by Dr. Surujbally for his failure to complete Mr. Boodhoo’s appraisal, then what could be the most plausible explanation?
The answers may lie in the following:
As mentioned earlier, everyone will recall that after the 2011 elections, the opposition were clear in their call for the heads of both Dr. Surujbally and Mr. Boodhoo. Now they are calling only for the removal of Mr. Boodhoo. What has changed?
It would appear that Dr. Surujbally has made a deal with the opposition so that he can retain his salary and benefits, which I understand amounts to approximately $2M per month. It appears that Dr. Surujbally is prepared to sacrifice Mr. Boodhoo, the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission and the future of Guyana in order to retain his super-salaried job. However, he must remember that it is hard- earned taxpayers’ money he is enjoying and he is therefore duty bound to act in the best interest of the nation and its taxpayers.
The role Mr. Boodhoo played in the maintenance of political stability and democracy in Guyana as the Chief Elections Officer cannot be over emphasised. It is now the call of Dr. Surujbally. He must act in such a way that he can occupy his rightful place in Guyana’s history, in a positive way. He must demonstrate his maturity and adherence to principles and not be like those under the PNC.
I clearly recall, and I know that the majority of Guyanese will also recall that following the announcement of the results of the 2011 elections, the entire opposition was very vocal in their call for the removal of both the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission.
I also recall and again I am sure that the majority of Guyanese would also recall that Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr, Surujbally, several times in the presence of distinguished dignitaries, both local and foreign, made clear pronouncements on the importance of the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission.
Now, according to reports in the media, the Opposition are up in arms against the renewal of the Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Gocool Boodhoo’s contract based on one genuine human mistake he made in the calculation of the allocation of seats, a mistake when taking into consideration the checks and balances in place at the Commission, is impossible to go unnoticed and which by no stretch of the imagination could have ever been intentional.
I recall, and many would also recall that no other than Dr. Surujbally came to the defence of Mr.Boodhoo when the opposition accused him of making a deliberate mistake in favour of the PPP/C.
Mr. Boodhoo has been the Chief Elections Officer for three elections and his contract has been renewed each time without any objections from any of the opposition’s commissioners, including Mr. Vincent Alexander, who was the PNC’s campaign manager for the 2006 elections. As campaign manager for the PNC during the 2006 election campaign Mr. Alexander would have had first- hand information about any misconduct on the part of Mr. Boodhoo. It would be interesting to note the fact that Mr. Alexander was appointed a Commissioner from the Opposition before Mr. Boodhoo’s last contract renewal and he did not have any objection to this renewal. It is therefore clear as the light of day that had there been any misconduct on the part of Mr. Boodhoo, Mr. Alexander would not have sat quietly and not object to his then contract renewal.
Even more interesting, is the fact that even as the opposition, demands that Mr. Boodhoo’s contract be not renewed, they cannot produce evidence of a single instance of misconduct by him to support their demand.
The logical conclusion therefore is that Mr. Gocool Boodhoo has indeed served his country with distinction and the current campaign against him is clearly politically motivated. This does not help with the maintenance of the independence of a most critical institution of stability of this nation of ours.
My understanding is that the Chairman, Dr. Surujbally, has so far failed to complete Mr. Boodhoo’s performance appraisal as Chief Elections Officer for the duration of his last contract period, the only grounds upon which his request for the renewal of his contract must be considered. In fact, Mr. Boodhoo should have been appraised many months ago, but strange enough this has not been done. There are therefore serious questions that must be posed to the chairman since the buck stops at him on this issue. The questions to be asked are:
* Has Dr. Surujbally failed in the execution of his duties as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission in not completing Mr. Boodhoo’s performance appraisal?
* Can this be considered a dereliction of his duty?
* Is this a convenient failure?
* Since this matter became a contentious one, what steps has Dr. Surujbally taken to have it addressed?
* If nothing is being done, what are the reasons?
* If no plausible explanation can be given by Dr. Surujbally for his failure to complete Mr. Boodhoo’s appraisal, then what could be the most plausible explanation?
The answers may lie in the following:
As mentioned earlier, everyone will recall that after the 2011 elections, the opposition were clear in their call for the heads of both Dr. Surujbally and Mr. Boodhoo. Now they are calling only for the removal of Mr. Boodhoo. What has changed?
It would appear that Dr. Surujbally has made a deal with the opposition so that he can retain his salary and benefits, which I understand amounts to approximately $2M per month. It appears that Dr. Surujbally is prepared to sacrifice Mr. Boodhoo, the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission and the future of Guyana in order to retain his super-salaried job. However, he must remember that it is hard- earned taxpayers’ money he is enjoying and he is therefore duty bound to act in the best interest of the nation and its taxpayers.
The role Mr. Boodhoo played in the maintenance of political stability and democracy in Guyana as the Chief Elections Officer cannot be over emphasised. It is now the call of Dr. Surujbally. He must act in such a way that he can occupy his rightful place in Guyana’s history, in a positive way. He must demonstrate his maturity and adherence to principles and not be like those under the PNC.
