-President requests CVs for Jagdeo GECOM nominees

PRESIDENT David Granger has asked Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to provide curricula vitae for the six persons he has nominated to fill the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). And his office has also reminded that one of the constitutional requirements for the post is that the person must hold, has held or can be appointed to the office as a Judge of a Court. Jagdeo on Wednesday submitted his six candidates to be considered for the post and among them are controversial Indian rights activist, Rhyaan Shah and a two-time elections candidate for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Professor James Rose. The other nominees include, Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Consultant, Lawrence

Latchmansingh; business executive, Ramesh Dookhoo; former chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Norman Mc Lean; and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram. Under the Constitution, President Granger does not have to accept the nominees and can send the list back for the opposition leader to furnish him with other candidates. Jagdeo said the candidates were arrived at during his round of consultations with civil society recently. He said too that all of the candidates have consented to serve if offered the post.
However, in a release issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, President Granger said he has responded to Jagdeo requesting him to provide the resumes of the nominees, so that he can determine their suitability for the post according to the requirements outlined in the Constitution of Guyana. “I replied to him right away, because although those six names might be known to the public, I could not be sure that their nominations were in accordance with the Constitution. I have asked him to let me have copies of the Curriculum Vitae of each one, so that it can guide me in making my decision. So that is where we are now and I would say that the ball is in his court. I would say let me have the resume for the persons so we can go ahead with this process. It is very important that we have a chairman as early as possible,” the President said.”

The Ministry of the Presidency quoted Article 161 (2) of the Constitution which states that “…the Chairman of the Elections Commission shall be a person who holds or who has held office as a Judge of a Court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a Court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court, or who is qualified to be appointed as any such Judge, or any other fit and proper person, to be appointed by the President from a list of six persons, not unacceptable to the President, submitted by the Leader of the Opposition after meaningful consultation with the non-governmental political parties represented in the National Assembly. Provided that if the Leader of the Opposition fails to submit a list as provided for, the President shall appoint a person who holds or has held office as a Judge of a Court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a Court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such Court or who is qualified to be appointed as any such judge.”

The Constitution also outlines that the post of chairmanship must be a full-time appointment and the holder must not engage in any form of employment.”
The former Chairman of GECOM, Dr. Steve Surujbally’s resignation became effective as of November 30 after 15 years of holding the post.
Speaking at a news conference at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday, Jagdeo said all of the candidates are qualified for the chairmanship of GECOM, noting that he hopes President Granger soon chooses one of them. “I think they all are strong people and courageous people and people who have demonstrated that they are prepared to serve the country’s interest, not partisan interest, so that is my sense. I did not go into any great detail about their management styles or anything of that sort, but their names came forward from civil society, [I] reviewed these names, thought that they had

some character traits that are necessary…,” the opposition leader said. “A significant number came from the list proposed by civil society,” he said. The PPP/C, he said, consulted with more than 30 civil society and religious organisations, private sector, labour movement, youths and women.
Jagdeo was asked on Wednesday whether he had another list of candidates should the President reject his list, Jagdeo responded: “I don’t want to deal with that at this point in time, because it is our expectation that given that these names enjoy such broad support in civil society and they are people who have a track record of acting independently and fearlessly, that the President will find it fit to choose one of them,” he said.

Shah, a businesswoman and writer was the co-founder of the now defunct and divisive Guyana Indian Heritage Association (GIHA). Latchmansingh is the former Programme Manager, Social Cohesion Programme, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Guyana. Since May 2003, Latchmansingh has managed activities to build local capacities for the peaceful resolution of disputes and promote the rule of law and democratic governance. Latchmansingh has an MBA from Dalhousie University in Halifax (Canada) and a BA in Theology from the University of the West Indies (Jamaica).
Chartered Accountant Ram is also a lawyer and has worked for many years with the local Elections Observer Bureau. A critic of both the former and present governments, Ram was recently hired as a forensic auditor by the current government. Ramesh Dookhoo is a business executive and former chairman of the Private Sector Commission, while McLean, served as both Commissioner of Police and Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defenfe Force during the Forbes Burnham years. Since the early 1990s, McLean has been Human Resources

Manager of Omai Gold Mines, a subsidiary of Canada’s Cambior Inc. A fixture in the business community, McLean has occupied a number of positions, including President of the Guyana Manufactures Association, member of the Security Sub-Committee of the Local Organising Committee for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Deputy Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission and recently chairman of the Private Sector Commission. Dr Rose for his part is a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana and is currently director of Culture.
Management of GECOM has always been fraught with deep political concerns over the years, given the history of elections here and their aftermath.