–GECOM says
THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has slammed the brakes on a brazen political move by United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, striking down his party’s use of the jaguar, a revered national symbol, for political branding.
Mohamed’s party, “We Invest in Nationhood,” adopted the jaguar, a figure from the national Coat of Arms.
According to PPP-nominated GECOM Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, GECOM determined that political parties cannot use the Jaguar as their political symbol.
The decision followed mounting concerns over the misuse of Indigenous and national symbols for political purposes.
The Chairperson of GECOM, retired Judge Justice Claudette Singh, referencing Article 7 of the Constitution — which obliges all citizens to respect national symbols — declared the practice “unacceptable” and in violation of the country’s supreme law.
Mohamed, according to a report from Demerara Waves, claimed that his party submitted a leopard as its symbol and not a jaguar.
However, in a video which is making the rounds on social media, Mohamed was heard saying that the symbol is a jaguar.