– to offer more inclusivity

THE disability community in Guyana has, for years, been asking for more inclusivity in the processes that govern the general and regional elections and on Friday has engaged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on the way forward.

The Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), on Friday, held a one-day conference to draft a voter education plan for the disability community, especially youth, and to draft the list of recommendations for submission to GECOM on fulfillment of the voting rights for persons with disabilities.

GCOPD Chairman, Cecil Morris, at the conference at the National Library on Church Street, noted that the disability community has to fight each time there are elections in the country to have their say. He wants for the disability community to be afforded the kind of respect due to it, as he noted that those in the disability community have the same rights as everyone else.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, offered that there are specific measures that can make voting more accessible for the differently-abled, such as providing options for the blind and visually impaired to vote privately and independently, outlining special instructions for those who are deaf; constructing ramps, slip resistant surfaces and suchlike things.

“All of these steps and more should be taken to ensure that people with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote,” she stated, adding that voting without civic education is a weak form of democracy.

Commissioner of GECOM, Vincent Alexander, welcomed the engagement.
“From a policy perspective, I can only speak for myself. This is a matter that has been brought to our attention in the past,” he noted.

Regarding the technicalities, he said there may be issues related to the timing of the requests, as Guyana is already on the eve of elections. “Any changes being made, some may require legislative intervention; that has its own problems. Others may require time… so I cannot give an undertaking from a technical perspective.”

Meanwhile, the one-day National Disability Conference was held as part of other activities during a one-week period to note the observance of International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The 24 member agencies of the GCPD, from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10 were represented.

In Guyana, the GCOPD observed that the March 2020 elections will determine the future of Guyanese in a new oil economy, and said it is important to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, especially for marginalised groups.
Recognising this, the GCOPD believes it is important to encourage maximum participation of the disability community in the electoral process through voter education which specifically responds to their needs.

The annual observance of IDPD was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of PWDs in all spheres of both society and developmental programmes; giving a voice to the one billion PWDs living across the world.

“Over the years, PWDs have been marginalised and forced to live on the fringes of society with limited opportunities for living independent, productive lives. Recognising the circumstances of this marginalised population, the Government of Guyana signed and ratified the UNCRPD. The Guyana Government also made one step further by initiating and implementing a legal framework for the protection and promotion of the rights of PWDs in Guyana by way of the Guyana PWD Act 2010,” GCOPD informed.

However, the body said these legal instruments have not been very effective in mitigating the instances of both overt and covert discrimination and the accompanying impacts, which continue to plague the disability community.

“Within this context, it is important to continue creating opportunities for empowerment for PWDs in Guyana. Currently, most important among these opportunities is citizen participation in the 2020 General and Regional Elections,” GCOPD said.