The issue of the appointment of a new Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission has recently been brought into national focus following the announcement this week by His Excellency, President David Granger that he had found the list of names submitted to him by Opposition Leader Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo to be unacceptable.

The list submitted by Mr. Jagdeo is:

1. Ramesh Dookhoo
2. Lawrence Latchmansingh
3. Maj. Gen. Rtd Norman McLean
4. Christopher Ram
5. Prof. James Rose
6. Rhyaan Shaw

Since the Carter formula was implemented prior to the 1992 elections and subsequently enshrined in the constitution, there have been no prior instances of a President having found the list submitted him to have been unacceptable. We are therefore now in unchartered territory as a nation.

The list submitted by Jagdeo however can be reasonably deemed unusual and noticeably different from those which were previously submitted by opposition leaders which resulted in GECOM Chairmen who presided over General and Regional elections.

In 1991, then Opposition Leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan submitted the following list to then President Desmond Hoyte.

1. Ambassador Rudy Collins
2. Jules DeCambra
3. Joey King
4. Edward Luckhoo
5. Bryn Pollard
6. David Yankana

Ambassador Rudy Collins was named GECOM Chairman by President Hoyte.

In 1995 when the tables had turned the then Opposition Leader Hoyte submitted the following list to then President Dr. Jagan.

1. Justice Rudolph Harper
2. Edward Hopkinson
3. Randolph Kirton
4. Ambassador Charles Liburd
5. Justice James Patterson
6. Doodnauth Singh

Mr. Singh was nominated by Dr. Jagan and sworn in as GECOM Chairman.

In 2000, Mr. Hoyte once again submitted a list to Mr. Jagdeo who had been elevated to the presidency. This list was as follows:

1. Prof. Dennis Craig
2. Harold Davis
3. Dr. Gem Fletcher
4. Brig. David Granger
5. Justice Rudolph Harper
6. Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Joe Singh

Maj. Gen. Singh was named as GECOM Chairman by Mr. Jagdeo.

After the resignation of Maj. Gen. Singh following the March 2001 elections, Opposition Leader Hoyte submitted another list to then President Jagdeo.

This list was identical to the one previously submitted, save for one change – Maj. Gen. Singh’s name was replaced by Dr. Steve Surujbally who was appointed GECOM Chairman by then President Jagdeo.

1. Prof. Dennis Craig
2. Harold Davis
3. Dr. Gem Fletcher
4. Brig. David Granger
5. Justice Rudolph Harper
6. Dr. Steve Surujbally

Justice Harper, a former Chief Justice, puisne judge and Justice of Appeal, features on all three lists submitted by Mr. Hoyte.

In 1991, the list submitted by Dr. Jagan included attorneys-at-law Edward Luckhoo, Bryn Pollard (who is also a former Chief Parliamentary Counsel) and Joey King.

The list submitted by Jagdeo therefore is historic and unusual in that it is the only such list which does not include a former judge or a Senior Counsel who would have been qualified to be appointed as a judge (though it does include the eminent accountant Mr. Ram, who was also admitted to the bar as an attorney-at-law on October 5, 2009).