Dear Editor,
THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is conducting another nationwide Claims and Objections exercise.
This undertaking is consistent with the institution’s compliance with the electoral legal framework, and is important to enabling GECOM to produce an updated Official List of Electors and be at an all-time readiness for holding free and fair elections.
The process of the Claims and Objections is a vital verification follow-up to addressing queries made about the recently concluded continuous registration exercise that enabled GECOM to produce a proper Preliminary List of Electors (PLE).
One, therefore, should note the conduct of related activities being done within a framework of transparency informed by the presence of interested stakeholders represented by witnesses to affirm responses to reported areas of doubt. The critical GECOM must be commended for producing a PLE which was verified by the Political Parties Scrutineers who work during the Continuous Registration National Exercise.
There is rich and valuable precedence in the use of the legally enshrined Continuous Registration foundation. Section 6(1) of the National Registration Act Cap. 19.08 states: “It shall be lawful for the Commission by order from time to time to appoint a date concerning which persons to whom the order applies shall be registered, a day on which the registration of such persons upon their application therefor under the order shall begin and a day on which such registration shall end.”
The Elections Commission has used the Official List of Electors from the 2001 General and Regional elections as the base to commence continuing registration. Since then, our country has been using the accepted process to update the Register of Registrants and prepare the appropriate Voters list.
Presently, all the political parties have the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) for scrutiny. Further, GECOM posted copies of the PLE at prominent locations in all the Registration Divisions, sub-divisions, at all the GECOM Permanent Registration Offices countrywide as well as on the Commission’s website (https://gecom.org.gy/public/home/lists).
During this essential exercise, any person who has attained the age of 18 years and older by December 31, 2023, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalisation or registration, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can claim entry on the Official List of Electors (OLE) on or before January 15, 2024, providing that he/she is not listed in the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE).
The relevant source documents, such as original birth certificate, valid passport, adoption certificate, form F, or Naturalisation Certificate of registration must support all Claims. Persons can take the opportunity to verify their particulars on the list.
In the case of objections, the person making the objection must produce the relevant original documents such as a Death Certificate. The Commission is urging all eligible electors to use this opportunity to get registered for inclusion in the OLE and for existing registrants to carefully check the PLE to ensure that their particulars as stated in the PLE are accurate.
GECOM is also doing continuous registration and taking care of category ‘B’ registrants who are attaining the age of 14 years as of July 31st. This will enable GECOM to be fully prepared for the next National and Regional Elections.
Because of the massive PPP/C Government massive housing drive and development across the country, many persons are now living in a new local government constituency that is different from where they were first registered.
It is appropriate and necessary for these persons to present their identification cards to the officials at the GECOM office covering their area of residence, in support of their application to be transferred to the constituency where they now reside. This should also make it easier to vote on polling day.
Transfers will be facilitated during this continuous period, providing the applicants the information regarding where they were registered and where they voted in the previous elections. Transfers are recommended as they also allow people the opportunity to play a real role in their immediate community development at the Municipal, Neighbourhood Development, and Village Council levels.
Free and fair elections are a must in Guyana, particularly given our experiences with the PNC political opposition who have historically continuously advanced less than favourable electoral practices. Their penchant for using situational convenience to create party advantages is characteristic and one that the nation must guard against.
Hence, it is imperative that the many pending court cases such as the one involving Keith Lowenfield, former Chief Election Officer, who is before the court for forgery and three counts of misconduct in public office must be concluded.
The case involving Roxanne Myers, former Deputy Chief Elections Officer, who is charged with two counts of misconduct in public office and is on $300,000 (three hundred thousand dollars) bail, must be concluded.
While Clairmont Mingo is charged and he is on $600,000 (six hundred thousand dollars) bail, along with Volda Lawerence, Carol Smith-Joseph, Denise Bobb-Cummings, Michelle Miller, Shefern February, and Enrique Livan, who are all before the courts and these matters must be concluded as early as possible.
It is amazing how the APNU+AFC was able to use the court to perpetuate themselves in office after the passing of the No-Confidence Motion and more seriously, how the APNU+AFC was able to use the courts to keep their knees on this nation’s neck for five long months.
Guyana must be finished with rigged elections; all culprits must pay for their unpardonable sins.
Respectfully,
Neil Kumar.
