–says decision clears way for rebuilding ‘trust,’ ‘confidence’ in electoral system

THE Alliance For Change (AFC) has welcomed the selection of Vishnu Persaud to be the new Chief Elections Officer (CEO) at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“We thank the commission for reaching a decision and appreciate that the task must have been arduous, and the process, divisive,” the AFC said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The political party, which is part of a coalition with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), said: “At the end of the day, a decision had to be made so that we can start the process of rebuilding trust and confidence in the electoral system and Guyana’s democracy.

“As a prerequisite to rebuilding the credibility of the system, we must have a new voters’ list – purged of all the contaminants of the past, and then, go on to hold Local Government Elections that are truly representative of the wishes of the people.”

Guyanese and people the world over watched last year as the country’s democracy, a sacred tenet of society, was threatened by the actions of the APNU+AFC coalition administration in the aftermath of the March 2, 2020 elections.

The electorate, after casting their votes on March 2, 2020, had to endure an unimaginable wait for the results of the General and Regional Elections, as they witnessed alleged unlawful acts and a slew of legal challenges.

During this time, the patience of the electorate was tested, as they observed purported attempts by the then incumbent APNU+AFC coalition to rip the democratic fabric of the nation with “delay tactics” which were openly criticised by a wide section of society.

After the conclusion of the elections, which resulted in a victory for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), GECOM dismissed several key officers who were purportedly involved in attempts to skew the outcome of the elections. Among those who were dismissed were former CEO, Keith Lowenfield, and Deputy CEO, Roxanne Myers.

Persaud was selected to fill the vacant post during a meeting among the GECOM commissioners, on Friday. He bested Jamaica-born Leslie Harrow, who was also interviewed for the top GECOM post. The duo was extracted by the commission from an initial shortlist of six candidates submitted to GECOM Chairman Justice (Ret’d), Claudette Singh last week.

It was Justice Singh’s vote, on Friday, which effectively broke the inevitable tie between GECOM’s three PPP/C-appointed commissioners and three APNU+AFC-appointed commissioners.

“Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice Claudette Singh, in justifying the reasons for endorsing the successful applicant, posited that having heard the commissioners and having read the endorsement of the former Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, she is of the view that Mr Persaud has acquired institutional knowledge, having been employed with GECOM for seventeen (17) years,” GECOM said in a release.

The release quoted Persaud’s extensive background with the elections body, which began with his appointment as Public Relations Officer in the early 2000s. He remained in that position until 2014 when he ascended to the role of DCEO up until 2017 when his contract was not renewed despite his expression of interest.

Not only will Persaud serve as the head of the commission’s secretariat, but he will also assume responsibilities of Commissioner of National Registration.

With Persaud being designated for the post of CEO, the AFC said: “[He] has a long and difficult road ahead and we trust that he has the ‘right stuff’ to lead a team that can deliver free, fair and acceptable elections whenever required by law.

“It goes without saying that whoever had been chosen in this position would have received the approbation of half of the population and the suspicion and possible rejection of the other half.”

Considering this reality, the AFC said much more has to be done by leaders, political parties, GECOM, civil society, citizens and development partners, acting in concert to create a united nation.

On this topic, President Dr. Irfaan Ali had related: “An essential part of my government is inclusion. Stop being defined by race; stop being defined by politics. Start being defined by our one nationality, and by our common love for our one country; let us lift it up together, and by doing so, let us lift each other and ourselves, one people, one nation, one destiny.”