Dear Editor,
THE current GECOM cycle of continuous registration has gained momentum allowing updates to a verifiable Register of Registrants (RoR). There has been an overwhelmingly positive response from the public, particularly the youths in this respect, which is most heartening. The updated register will be available for scrutiny during the Claims and Objections period legislatively prescribed to follow, and will ultimately lead to a Voters List to facilitate the holding of Local Government Elections.

This subject, however, has not been without contention due to seeming slothfulness regarding the removal of deceased people from the RoR. While this position is acknowledged by all parties, a recent Stabroek Newspapers Editorial attempts to cast shades of grey and splashes blame on major political parties. Please, therefore, allow me to expound briefly reasons why this editorial and the approach by the PNC/R as the main critique requires contextual review.

The demands for a clean RoR and by extension Voters’ list is indeed the pursuit of the PPP/C and should be of interest to all contesting electoral parties in Guyana. Our country’s political history however, is replete with too many deliberate PNC demonstrations of democratic indecency and actions are solely driven by their pursuit of party paramountcy.

The emboldened undercurrent behaviour of the latter never relents and cannot be swept under the table under the pretext of a bloated list. The convenience of David Granger’s unilateral appointment of James Patterson as GECOM Chairman arguably created a fiasco that was never designed to clean the voters’ list, but rather, realise greater imbalance while extending the Coalition’s tenure in office. There was no objective plural agreement or support for the PNC-directed bullish approach or rather, objective proposals.

In 2019, approximately four years into its term, Patterson approved the commencement of the house-to-house registration approach to re-creating the RoR knowing fully well that it would have taken more than two years to complete while disenfranchising thousands of Guyanese citizens. This absolutely could not work as all of the GECOM elections would have had to await the outcome and delays.

Guyana is not unique among numerous states, practicing democratic states that have variances. What is not being mentioned by the aggressive critics is that all parties have representatives in the place of polls as a countercheck to prevent the exhumation of the alleged dead people in the place of polls.

Notwithstanding, the PPP General-Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s concrete proposal for the cleansing of the list and the removal of dead person’s names from the list are most welcome. He contends that with the tremendous improvement and efficient functioning of the General Registrar Office (GRO), we will have a more efficient and legitimate removal mechanism regarding dead person’s names from the list. The PNC, particularly all those who are in politics for decades and are calling for a clean voters list must come up with concrete proposals and let the nation work together towards this end.

In observing the PNC’s duplicity, it is of note that during 2008-2009, GECOM conducted a thorough house-to-house registration exercise resulting in the production of a new and updated identification card. That RoR was accepted by all and elections were held in 2011 and again in 2015. Further, immediately after the APNU+AFC Coaltion took power, they went to the Parliament and strengthened the process by amending the legislation to ensure that the continuous registration exercise will use an extended period of six months to validate the Narional Register of Registrants.

The APNU+AFC did this without the required level of consultations or the involvement of the PPP/C. They went into full action mode without the PPP/C’s meaningful participation and held the Local Government Elections in 2016. In addition, the PNC-APNU+AFC went forward with the same paramount party power and unilaterally made changes and add more Local Authority Areas for the 2018 LGEs. Significantly, the PNC as expected, dumped the AFC and contested the 2018 LGEs by themselves. But this did not stop the PPP/C from humiliating them in the Local Government Elections.

In December 2018, the PPP/C moved the famous “No Confidence Motion.” The infamous victory results of the motion certainly upset all the Coalition Government plans. The PNC was determined to stay in office although they had reduced power. As usual, the PNC returned to their old habits of trying to ‘bully’ themselves to stay in office as the government. Further, the PNC utilised the Judiciary/Courts to its full advantage to buying more time in office. However, the corruption, racism, discrimination, white colour crime, and controlling influence over persons involved in the GECOM Secretariat, enabled the Coalition Government to stay in power for a further period, particularly the five unforgettable months.

Guyanese will never forget the attempts to postpone the elections by starting an illegal, house-to-house registration exercise. The manipulation of the Guyana Elections Commission and the GECOM Secretariat, in particular, must never be allowed to operate in such a shameful manner.

All the calls for a better RoR and voters list are evidence of the activation of approaches to ‘dogged’ elections. Let us face the polls in a free and fair manner for the upcoming LGEs.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Kumar