Two senior GECOM staff walk following alleged breach of contract
PPP/C-nominated GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj
PPP/C-nominated GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj

THE Chief Accountant and Legal Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have resigned after being flagged for being in breach of their employment contracts. This is according to People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)-nominated GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, who spoke with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday evening.
As it relates to the former Chief Accountant, Joseph Eastman, Gunraj related that his contract had expired, and that it had come up for renewal. The Attorney-at-law explained that, during the discussions regarding Eastman’s contract renewal, concerns were raised relating to him being engaged in work outside of GECOM.
“… and the proof provided, were actually newspaper advertisements for his private practice, which included a cell-phone number, upon which we all contact him,” Gunraj explained. Confronted with evidence provided by another PPP/C-nominated Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, Eastman claimed that he received permission from the former Chief Elections Officer, Gocool Boodho. However, he was unable to provide evidence to support this claim. Eastman subsequently submitted a letter indicating that he no longer wished to have his contract with the Elections Commission renewed.

The breaches were detected and highlighted by PPP/C-nominated GECOM Commissioner, Bibi Shadick

“He was there for 10 years,” Gunraj indicated.
As it relates to GECOM’s former Legal Officer, Excellence Dazzell, she resigned after being faced with similar allegations, backed by evidence. “Bibi Shadick provided a publication from the official Gazette to show that she was engaged in a practice outside of GECOM,” Gunraj said.
He explained that following this revelation, Dazzell, an Attorney-at-law by profession, was issued a letter from the Chairperson of the Commission, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh; in the letter, the GECOM head reportedly asked that Dazzell show cause as to why she should not be disciplined in accordance with her actions.
“She claimed in her letter, that she received permission from the then [GECOM] Chairman [Justice (ret’d) James Patterson], but she was unable to provide any documentation to show that she did, in fact, receive permission to engage in a full-fledged legal practice,” Gunraj noted. He said that shortly after, the former television personality resigned.

PPP/C’s Gunraj maintained that while he would not express pleasure over Eastman’s and Dazzel’s departure from GECOM, his sole concern was the effective functioning of the elections body. “If you engage in employment with an agency, you ought to dedicate your strengths and energies, towards that agency…in writing, no less,” Gunraj posited.
He argued that the employment conditions are not matters of mere understanding and expectations, but clear contractual obligations and legal instructions that they, as key officials, must not engage in any services outside of GECOM. “In both instances, there were clear breaches of the specific terms of their contracts,” Gunraj noted.
He emphasised that “the proper functioning of an organisation depends on the strength and dedication of its employees, and when you have persons, senior managers at that, engaged in this kind of activity, it adds to the rot of the organisation.”

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