Outgoing Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) , Dr Steve Surujbally ,believes that a judge may be the best suited person to replace him, provided he/she is “fit and proper”.

At the same time , while citing perceived difficulties in finding his replacement ,with the 2020 polls being one that is “so serious”, Surujbally has called on his potential replacement to be “resolute” ,”fearless” and be prepared to tell a President or Opposition Leader “No”,after extensive consideration of his/her position.
Speaking at what he termed his last press briefing as Chairman of GECOM on Monday at the elections body headquarters in Kingston, Surujbally said that from an ethical and moral standpoint, it may be difficult to decide on a candidate to fill the post of chairman. He said that he thinks that the focus of the framers of the constitution was really to have a judge at the helm of the electoral body.

“If you could have a judge fit and proper,having all the positive elements in his behavior and his moral make- up, then yes , that would be the best person to have “, he said . Speaking on the legal strength of GECOM, he said that the body has never been without lawyers.
Surujbally expressed belief that he is leaving behind a “less difficult “environment in which to work and according to him , he is prepared to offer any advice his successor may request.
As regards the naming of a successor, the outgoing chairman believes that the process has taken a long time. He said that process of waiting is sending a message and he believes that the message is one which tells that the 2020 elections would be serious and the results would be of great interest to the relevant stakeholders.

Speaking of his entry into the post of Chairman, Surujbally said he met with his predecessor Brigadier General Retired, Joe Singh,for what was supposed to be a half hour meeting. He said that the meeting turned out to be a three-hour meet “pregnant with information “, noting that everything that was said to him by Singh panned out the way it was said , “but some of the things you would have to stumble and find out for yourself”.

He advised his would be successor to pursue a course at the University of Guyana on elections management,“so that any time we need cadre , and we do need a lot of cadre , perhaps thousands,” such persons would be trained on any subject of the elections field,such as voter registration and training .

As regards projects he wished to complete, he said that the issue of information technology for GECOM’s electoral process such as registration, voting, counting and transmission of results are among matters he wished to accomplish. In addition, the construction of new headquarters with a press centre was also a feat he wished to achieve, noting that there exists space for a new building.