CHAIRMAN of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally, yesterday, was emphatic in rejecting what he termed “ill-advised” accusations against the Commission and its Secretariat, over the last few weeks.

“While we are not speculating about why X, Y and Z is being done, we do have the right, a duty and an obligation to tell this nation the truth and bare naked the falsehoods and unprovoked innuendoes, which seem to have

as a sole objective to blemish the image and credibility which we at GECOM have so painstakingly and with much effort nurtured over the yearS,” he said.
His comments were made at a news conference held at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, which was attended by GECOM Commissioners, senior staff and a significant number of representatives from the diplomatic corps.
According to Dr. Surujbally, GECOM’s efforts have “harvested” global recognition from Commonwealth member states and many other international organisations.
“There is international recognition for us. We feel so strong about our electoral process that as soon as we tidy up loose ends we could [apply] for international standards certification,” he said.
The GECOM Chairman bemoaned the “unacceptable, unwarranted and undeserved” castigation of the Commission.
He said, “GECOM and its Secretariat have been subjected relentlessly to an unacceptable, unwarranted and undeserved amount of castigation under the guise, and that is the hypocrisy of it, of supposedly pointing us technicians, policy-makers and elections management professionals in a direction we are supposedly not knowledgeable about.”
Surujbally noted that the “ill-advised accusations have been unremitting,” despite the fact that GECOM’s “A Team” has prepared for and mastered elections that have contributed to improving the election processes of emerging democracies elsewhere.

“While we are not speculating about why X, Y and Z is being done, we do have the right, a duty and an obligation to tell this nation the truth and bare naked the falsehoods and unprovoked innuendoes.” – GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally

MAJOR CRITICISMS
To this end, the Commission’s Chairman undertook to challenge “misinformation” peddled by the entity’s critics.
The point-by-point response to several areas of concerns, all of which were raised by the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), effectively answered the party’s call for answers.
On Monday, General-Secretary of the PPP, Mr. Clement Rohee, called on GECOM to explain:
* The increase of almost 80,000 voters on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE);
* How persons living at the same address in Georgetown but are placed on different divisional lists;
* Why it has not yet conducted a physical verification of the discovery of 18 electors at one address;
* The discovery of 10 persons listed at an address at Prospect, East Bank Demerara, which is an unoccupied empty lot “overgrown” with bushes;
* The listing of approximately 2,958 persons, although the deceased are still included on the PLE.
Regarding the latter, Dr. Surujbally made it clear that no laws will be broken by the Commission and, as per the Commission’s procedures, names are removed from the National Register of Registrants(NRR) only after the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) has forwarded authentic documentation confirming a death.
As for the discovery of 10 persons listed at an address at Prospect, East Bank Demerara, he explained that when the concern was raised with the Commission, personnel were dispatched and investigations revealed that the persons were registered at a real address, but the house at that address collapsed last year and the 10 persons are currently staying with relatives.
“All 10 people were accounted for,” the Chairman stressed.
He added that as it related to the physical verification of the discovery of 18 electors at one address, GECOM confirmed the address; findings that indicated that indeed there were multiple persons listed at one address.
Dr. Surujbally explained that there are cases where multiple persons live at one address and in this case there is nothing else that GECOM can do, except confirm this.
The Chairman highlighted too that all verification efforts are done in the presence of party scrutineers.
Another issue that was addressed was the establishment oF an International Monitoring Unit, which Dr. Surujbally dismissed. “I have never heard of that,” he said, adding that the complaining party could have been referring to the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU), which has been a successful feature in local elections since 2006.
Also, the alleged refusal of GECOM to make use of a Joint International Technical Assessor (JITA) was debunked by the Commission’s Chairman. “JITAs have always been identified in the past and funded by the international development partners. In view of the possibility of imminent elections, GECOM has not waited, we have already engaged the international development partners to benefit from services of a JITA,” he said.
During the news conference, it was also acknowledged that there was a legitimate problem with persons living at the same address in Georgetown being placed on different divisional lists, but this was confirmed as having been addressed. The resolution of the issue was also reportedly communicated to the political party.

NO PADDING
Probably the most sensitive issue addressed by Dr. Surujbally was the assertion that the increase of almost 80,000 voters on the PLE could mean there was some level of “padding” being done.
“GECOM takes umbrage at the use of the word ‘padding’….the word ‘padding’ strongly suggests that GECOM is consciously and wilfully increasing the voters’ list with persons that ought not to be on the list. We collectively resent and debunk such statements in the strongest terms,” he said.
The Commission’s Chairman pointed out that GECOM has a menu of measures to ensure that persons who are not eligible to vote will not be able to cast a vote.
“One of the reasons could be that people have in fact left Guyana, but come back to be registered…once their paperwork is in order they have every right to register in Guyana,” he said.
Dr. Surujbally added that Guyana’s Elections Commission is working with international best practices. “No list will ever be 100 per cent perfect,” he said.
On the question of a fresh house-to-house registration to negate concerns over the PLE, the GECOM Chairman underscored the fact that to go that route would require a significant investment of taxpayers’ dollars.
“In 2008 we did a house- to- house registration and we went into every area…a new- house- to- house registration will take us to the billons. It is not cheap, which is why we will do it after every 10 years. Our colleagues in the Caribbean do it every eight, nine and 10 years,” he said, adding that the continuous registration cycles ensure GECOM maintains a presence on the ground.
Dr. Surujbally asserted that the areas of criticism that have been raised are unacceptable, unwarranted and undeserved, but also gave the assurance that GECOM is working to correct whatever discrepancies, externally or internally, that exist.

(By Vanessa Narine)