THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has said it is aware that many persons inadvertently leave their National Identification Cards at business places which they might have visited to conduct personal business transactions e.g. commercial banks, offices of the National Insurance Scheme, Post Offices, Insurance Companies, etc. There are also cases wherein persons lose their ID Cards due to robbery perpetrated on them. This situation has led to a significant number of applications for replacement ID Cards being made to GECOM.

A GECOM release said the loss of ID cards, while placing the respective citizens at great disadvantage, puts unnecessary burden on GECOM in terms of human and material resources to process the applications for and the production/issuance of replacement ID Cards.

“In view of the foregoing, GECOM calls upon all public and private institutions at which ID cards might have inadvertently been left, and all citizens who may come into possession of ID cards issued in the name of persons unknown to them, to surrender any/all such ID Cards to the nearest GECOM Registration Office. Alternatively, public and private institutions could call any of the following GECOM numbers: –  at 225 0277, 226 1651, 226 1652, 223 9650 – in order that arrangements could be made for GECOM to uplift the ID cards as might be appropriate,” GECOM said.

The release added that ID cards returned to GECOM would be sorted and sent to the respective Registration Offices responsible for the area of residence of the respective registrants. This would (i) facilitate the return of the ID cards to the respective registrants when they present themselves to apply for replacements, and (ii) spare GECOM the need to expend resources on the processing of relevant applications and the production of replacement ID Cards.