–says APNU+AFC, GECOM agents were not on the side of democracy

THE twist and turns in the revelations of the attempted heist of the March 2020 Regional and General Elections by APNU+AFC agents, with assistance from corrupt GECOM staff entered another chapter, as Captain Gerald Gouveia testified yesterday before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI).

Gouveia who at the time was Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), was one of many persons who, through various letters and press releases, sought to ensure that the result of the elections was a true representation of the people.

He recalled being very active throughout the entire election process. Gouveia testified that he was very pleased, on E-Day, to see that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was able to pull off smooth proceedings. However, his satisfaction was short-lived as he soon learned about the “fraudulent” actions taken by GECOM senior staffers in the district four tabulation process.

Gouveia told commissioners that it soon became clear that the efforts of GECOM, the Guyana Police Force and agents of the APNU+AFC were not on the side of democracy.

He said that the PSC stayed the course and played its part in trying to secure election results in keeping with the will of the people.

Gouveia said that the PSC wrote several letters to numerous local and international bodies including the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union (EU) and the Commonwealth.  The PSC also wrote several letters to GECOM and made efforts to communicate with the Guyana Police Force. All of those letters were offered to the COI and admitted into evidence.

Also admitted into evidence was a press release written by the PSC that reflected its total dissatisfaction with the actions of the police force.

That statement noted that the police force seemed to have been acting under “direct political direction.”

It stated that members of the PSC and its observers “witnessed the deliberate and forceful intervention of heavily armed police in preventing the oversight of SOPs at GECOM by physically removing accredited political party representatives, accredited observers, including private sector observers, and the members of the media.”

Gouveia recalled that members of the PSC made numerous attempts to telephone the then Commissioner of Police about the concerning matters identified, but those efforts were futile.

Further, Gouveia told the COI about several letters he wrote to GECOM. One of the letters highlighted addressed the “fraud that was perpetuated by the senior staff of GECOM during the Region Four tabulation process, which resulted in a protracted legal process leading to the delay of the official results.”

Gouveia was asked whether there was any response from GECOM denying the alleged fraud. He told the commission that GECOM responded to his letters, but he could not say definitively whether there was a response from GECOM denying the allegations.

Gouveia’s attention was drawn to a PSC press release that stated, “It is clear to all that the Chairman of GECOM is allowing, without objection, the attempts to perpetuate election fraud under her watch.”

Gouveia told the commission that neither GECOM nor the Chairperson, Claudette Singh ever refuted that allegation.

That very press release also stated that the tabulation process certainly raised doubts about the integrity of the GECOM Chair, Chief Elections Officer and some of their staff. Again, Gouveia said that there was no disputation to that statement.