GENERAL Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Mr. Donald Ramotar has maintained that the ‘pushing back of timelines’ by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is a pressing concern.
“The initial date set for the Claims and Objections period to start was in April, but that has now been pushed back to May,” Ramotar lamented in an invited comment yesterday.
He proffered the view that frequent meetings by the GECOM Commissioners would see the pressing issues addressed, as preparations for this year’s elections continue.
“GECOM needs to pick up the level of its work,” the PPP General Secretary said.
He stressed that his views are not intended to be a “cuss out”, but rather a suggestion that could improve the efforts of GECOM.
Meanwhile, GECOM Public Relations Officer, Mr. Vishnu Persaud, yesterday maintained that the Commission’s position is that it is on track for the upcoming national and regional elections.
At a training workshop for electoral scrutineers at the Tower Hotel on March 16th, the GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, addressed the frequency of the Commissioners’ meeting.
At that workshop he said, “The Commission is meeting every other week. Of course as we get closer to the elections, we might be meeting twice a week, but at this point in time as we get things moving, I really don’t think that there is that necessity of having Commissioners meet more often.”
Surujbally did, however, acknowledge that there is some degree of absenteeism on the part of some commissioners, but he contends that this does not affect the work of the Commission “in any profound way”, since meetings go on once there is a quorum.
In an article published in the Chronicle on March 17th, one commissioner disputed the assertion that GECOM has been meeting as regularly as it should.
Speaking to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity, the commissioner said that the last time the body had a meeting was three weeks ago.
According to him many times there is no quorum because of the absence of one or two commissioners appointed by the opposition.
For there to be a quorum, the Chairman must be present, as well as two commissioners from the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and two from the opposition.
Elections are constitutionally due every five years and are likely before the end of the year, possibly in August this year. (Vanessa Narine)