By Rabindra Rooplall
THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will soon be moving to introduce electronic registration in the voting process, according to Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally.“Within the next month or so, the Commission will be using its time to deal with that particular subject,” Dr Surujbally said on Sunday at the conclusion of a two-day Local Government Elections training workshop for journalists, held at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) building in Georgetown.
The workshop was organised by the Guyana Press Association, and was funded by the Canadian High Commission.
The automated voting system, Dr Surujbally said, was used in the University of Guyana Student Council (UGSS) election, and had smooth and successful results.
The system is being mulled by the Commission as it recognises the need to tabulate, certify, and announce accurate results of elections in a timelier manner.
In 2015, several observer missions that came to monitor the General and Regional Elections had recommended in their reports that GECOM move to electronic tabulation in the interest of time and efficiency.
Noting that, over the last 15 years, the Canadian High Commission has always been supportive of GECOM and its ventures, Dr Surujbally said the High Commission places a high level of importance on its assistance to democratic institutions, and GECOM is thankful.
DIG DEEPER
In the context of journalists executing their duties, Dr Surujbally said they must dig deeper into investigations before printing stories on issues that can negatively impact society.
In giving an example, the GECOM official said: “When one hears a statement in the media that GECOM staff has hired 95 per cent of one ethnicity on behalf of someone speaking, something must be wrong. I would think it would be the journalist’s job to question such a statement. Firstly, is that true? Did the reporter challenge this? Because, if it is true, what the person is saying is that GECOM is biased,” he said.
Hinting at a question which a journalist should ask, the GECOM official said, “It should be inquired how many people applied of the various groups; and of those (that) applied, how many actually passed the test exam? Now these are things that would get us to the truth, because it’s not good enough to be making and allowing this nation to read statements that, when reported, cause cleavage; we should instead be building a society of togetherness.”
REPORT RESPONSIBLY
He said the media should not promote division, and no one should be allowed to create a cleavage in society.
Meanwhile, President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), Wesley Gibbings, said GECOM has a high level of competence and greater willingness to facilitate the media in its duties in disseminating information. Gibbings said that journalists have a responsibility to the constituencies who rely on the media to make very important decisions in their lives.
“We owe them a duty to do our jobs as well and professionally as possible. Most of the elements of being able to conduct ourselves professionally at elections’ time were explored during the training sessions, and journalists must be professional,” he said.
Canadian High Commissioner Pierre Giroux said this year is the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Guyana, and it coincides with the country’s own 50th Independence anniversary. He said a strong democracy must start with requisite elections which are monitored by the fourth estate, the media.
“You are the media by which the population can try to understand what is going on, and it can also express itself. When you actually don’t do that, what happens is that democracy weakens…. But you have a great advantage and a strong democratic streak because people want democracy, and that is why we support GECOM,” the envoy explained.
