Dear Editor,
ALBEIT the negative criticism coming from the opposition. The Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield’s ascension to the helm of GECOM was not partisan.
This year will make 19 years since the retired Guyana Defence Force Major arrived on the scene. Unlike his predecessors, the late Stanley Singh and Gocool Boodoo, Lowenfield came through the ranks at the electoral body.

He played an integral role as Logistic Manager for 2001 General and Regional Elections. After the 2001 Elections, Lowenfield was appointed as A.C.E.O Administration, and in this role the retired major was part of the Guyana Elections Commission Departmental Tender Board. As an adjudicator, he got a firsthand look at procurement for sensitive electoral items, an experience that would later prove invaluable. For reasons unknown, the administrative responsibilities were removed from A.C.E.O. Lowenfield but coming from a military background, failure is never a course for depression but rather an incentive for improvement.

Overseas training in 2003 with the Electoral Commission of Jamaica broadened his electoral repertoire, so his appointment as Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO) a few years later came as no surprise. Lowenfield is the only chief election officer in Guyana who has presided over two Local Government Elections to date, in 2016 and 2018.

His performance for the 2015 General and Regional Elections was highly applauded by all the International Observers Groups, O.A.S, Carter Centre, Europe Union, Canadian High Commission, British High Commission and The United States Embassy. Now, the integrity of this 19-year electoral veteran is being questioned by the same opposition that voted unanimous for his appointment as CEO six years ago. They of all people should know that his ascension to the top was not partisan, he walked the plank at GECOM.

Regards,
George Williams