Dear Editor

IN recent times, Ms. Bibi Safora Shadick, one of GECOM’s commissioners, has taken it upon herself to weekly report in the newspapers letter columns and other media, on the statutory meetings of GECOM. I consider her action unethical for a range of reasons, including the disclosure of the names of those who are responsible for the issue on which a report is being made. Given the nature of GECOM’s undertakings and what is chosen to be reported on, such reports may well put commissioners and staff in harm’s way of over-zealous political activists, as well as they may discredit and undermine the work of the organisation.

That apart, the most recent report of Nov. 1 clearly revealed the agenda-driven, impartial, biased and vicious nature of Shadick’s reporting. She found it newsworthy to indicate that the chairman came ahead of his secretary; the CEO was “belligerent”; the DCEO “overwhelmed”; the PRO accepted biased advice from vendors; and she doubted whether the organisation could implement its plan which she declared to be “good on paper”, among other things; all of which were either irrelevant to the outcome of the meeting and/or opinionated.

What, however, is most noteworthy was her omission of the most important issue that was interrogated/discussed at the meeting– a matter that has serious implications for the conduct of the upcoming polls and the execution of which left much to be desired. Given my own disposition to reporting as she has been doing, I will not mention the specifics of the matter; suffice to say that the officer responsible for that matter is kih and kin to her and has been openly and overwhelmingly favoured by her in past events.

I can therefore come to no conclusion other than that Ms. Shadick’s reporting is an extension of the PPP/C’s campaign to cast aspersions on, and malign the PPP/C’s proclaimed 90 per cent African-Guyanese staff at GECOM and GECOM itself.

In my 11 years of service at GECOM, I have never seen GECOM reduced to such a crass level of politicking. We now have some commissioners who are essentially fifth columnists, in my view.

Vincent Alexander
GECOM Commissioner