….as House approves $7.9B in supplementary finances

THE National Assembly approved $7.9B in supplementary finances – the majority of which is for the Guyana Elections Commission to facilitate the conduct of General and Regional Elections.

The approval of the finances is in keeping with a commitment made by President David Granger to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). A sum of $3,496,496,155 was requested by the electoral body to supplement the $5.546B it had already received for 2019, however, the House, on Thursday, approved $3,482, 344,000. Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, in presenting the estimates to the House for consideration, said the $3,482, 344,000 represents 99 per cent of the sum requested by GECOM.

In the absence of the parliamentary opposition, Minister Jordan told the House that the supplementary provision for the Elections Commission was not being sought in anticipation of the Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ’s) decision on the no-confidence motion, but rather in keeping with a commitment made by President Granger.

“It is one in keeping with the President’s commitment (made) even before the matter went to the CCJ,” the finance minister said, while explaining that GECOM had written the President requesting funding for the conduct of General and Regional Elections.

“Irrespective of the ruling of the CCJ, these monies will be made available to the Elections Commission for them to start the process of elections preparation,” he added. Noting that elections are costly, Minister Jordan pointed out that when the supplementary provision is added to the approximately $5.3B already received, it would show that for 2019, GECOM will be given approximately $8.8B in total, to facilitate General and Regional Elections which are constitutionally due in 2020.

Of the total sum, approximately $182.4M has been budgeted for ‘capital projects’ which include the purchasing of five vehicles to the tune of $48M, two boats and engines (40 Horsepower and 150 Horsepower) at the cost of $10M, and update of the Multiple Identity Document Issuing System (MIDIS) at a cost of $75M. Additionally, a number of office desks, office chairs, power surge equipment, vertical filing cabinets and canvas tents would be purchased as well.

The remaining $3.3B, budgeted for ‘current projects,’ will be used primarily for the payment of wages and salaries for polling day staff, the purchase of print and non-print materials, local travel and subsistence, the purchase of drugs and medical supplies and field materials and supplies. GECOM has also budgeted for food and security services among other important materials and services.

Last November, the House cleared approximately $5.4B for GECOM when it considered the 2019 National Budget. Of the $5.4B, approximately $3B was budgeted for House-to-House Registration, which has since commenced.

Before the Court of Appeal invalidated the ‘vote of no-confidence,’ the Parliamentary Opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – was pushing for GECOM to utilise the $3B intended for National Registration for the holding of General and Regional Elections, but the government-appointed GECOM commissioners had objected to such a move.

In February, after months of disagreements on the way forward, the Chairman of the Commission, Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, used his casting vote to break a tie, and voted in favor of House-to-House Registration. That process has begun, and with the expiration of Official List of Voters April 30, the conduct of National Registration becomes even more important.

During the hearing of the consolidated appeals on the vote of no-confidence at the CCJ earlier this month, GECOM’s Attorney, Senior Counsel Stanley Marcus, told a panel of judges led by President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders, that in the event the court rules that there should be early elections, funding would be needed.

“I don’t think I have to belabour the point that funding is necessary to administer elections,” Marcus told the judges while pointing out that the 2019 programme of the elections commission was unanimously decided upon. That decision covered the revision of the Official List of Voters which was in use for more than a decade. “…a list that was compiled in 2008 by no stretch of the imagination could be valid for elections in 2018 or 2019,” Marcus told the court.

During that hearing, the Senior Counsel also informed the court that the Elections Commission could only facilitate General and Regional Elections after October, 2019. It therefore means GECOM, even with the finances being provided, would only be ready to hold elections, if the need arises, in November or thereafter.

The CCJ concluded hearing submissions on the appeals on May 10, and has indicated that a date for the decision would be announced later. Justice Saunders said based on the decision of the court, GECOM’s attorney may be asked to reappear before the CCJ on behalf of the elections commission.

If the CCJ overturns the decision of the Court of Appeal, early elections would be required in keeping with Article 106 (7) of the Constitution, which provides for elections to be held within three months following the defeat of the government in the National Assembly.

However, government has argued that the opposition, as indicated by the Court of Appeal, did not secure an absolute majority, and therefore the vote was invalid. The Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, has long indicated that that the decision of the Court of Appeal will stand pending the ruling of the CCJ.

Meanwhile, of the $7.9B approved on Thursday, $25M has been allocated to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC). The constitutional body had requested approximately $83.3M to complement the $175.1M already received.

“This amount that is requested $83,355,678…is the difference between what the commission had submitted at the time of the budget and what was voted by this Parliament,” Minister Jordan pointed out. He said the attempt to recover the money that was not approved during the consideration of the 2019 Budget comes at a very bad time, as such only $25M was recommended. The finance minister told the House that the $3.4B for the Elections Commission and other appropriations had to be taken into consideration, however, after much consultation, the finance ministry was able to recommend an additional $25M – the now approved sum.