EMPHASISING that only the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) can determine when elections can be held, General Secretary of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Amna Ally, dismissed concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, on a merger of data from house-to-house registration and the National Register of Registrants “delaying” elections.

Ally stressed that GECOM is a constitutionally independent body, and no authority except GECOM can determine when elections can be held.

“With regards to whether elections will be held next year, I cannot answer that, GECOM has to state their readiness, they are the ones [that make the decision], GECOM is an independent agency. The PNC/R remains committed to respecting the independence of the GECOM, the laws of our country and the upholding the constitution of Guyana,” Ally said, as she transmitted the party’s position. “The Constitution… mandates that the Commission (GECOM) shall exercise general direction and supervision over the registration of electors and administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly. The PNC/R respects and recognises that GECOM and only GECOM has that authority.”

Jagdeo, at the opposition’s weekly press conference, last Thursday, said that a merger of the house-to-house registration and the NRR was a delaying tactic to push elections until next year, after his party, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) said that the merger would “further” contaminate the NRR list. “As leader of the opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo makes loose statements at all times. I am not surprised that he has indicated that this list is going to be contaminated when it has been merged with the NRR…,” Ally said in response to questions on the opposition leader’s position.

“How is it if you merge the information from house-to-house registration to what exists as the NRR you are going to have contamination? Is it that he is admitting that the NRR is corrupt? Is it that he is admitting that the NRR is no good? I am sure silently he is.”
Ally noted that even as GECOM prepares for the hosting of Regional and General Elections, a credible Official List of Electors (OLE) is of critical importance. Ally questioned why the PPP is prepared to go to elections without a credible OLE, establishing that the PNC/R “will continue to advocate for a credible list of electors”.

“The PPP is prepared to go to the polls with any list, they don’t care if the list is corrupted. Why? It is essential that we hold fair, free and credible elections and we cannot do so if the people of Guyana believe that the list is outdated and corrupted. The process GECOM takes to sanitise the list must therefore take into consideration the concerns expressed,” Ally said.

Ally reminded that it also up to GECOM to come up with a method of ensuring that it provides a credible OLE. “Elections can only be held when GECOM notifies us that they are ready, the underpinning thing is that there is need for a credible list so that we can have credible elections,” Ally said.

“GECOM has a right to implement whatever process they have to implement in order to produce a credible list. The house-to-house is not illegal, and there is an NRR,GECOM has to know what they are going to do to put the two together to come up with a credible list, and I have full confidence in GECOM that they have the capability to produce such a list.”
GECOM, on Tuesday last, noted that it “has an obligation to produce a credible Official List of Electors (OLE) in the first instance and ultimately credible elections within the shortest possible time”, as the body announced that a decision was taken to shorten house-to-house registration. The decision would see the exercise coming to an end on August 31, when it was initially been slated to be completed on October 20, 2019. The exercise had begun on July 20, 2019.

Given that the Chief Justice, Roxane George, ruled that house-to-house registration was legal and constitutional, GECOM explained that the data garnered from house-to-house registration would be merged with existing NRR Database. This would be followed by an extended period of claims and objections, in order to produce a preliminary OLE.

Approximately 300,000 persons had already been registered to in the exercise as of earlier this week, and GECOM has since took a decision to extend the hours of house-to-house registration to see as many persons as possible being registered. “The PNC/R is pleased that the data gathered from the current house-to-house registration will be considered in the new list of electors. The PNC/R will use the proposed extended claims and objections period to rigorously peruse and where necessary further sanitise the new list of electors,” Ally said. She also addressed concerns by persons worried of not being able to be registered before house-to-house ends.

“I think the Chairman of GECOM has made the correct decision, because you merge what you have existing with what is coming in and GECOM obviously has its process for coming up with a final list. There are some people out there who are worried that if they don’t catch the registration by [today] they would have great difficulty, their names wouldn’t be on the list, or they wouldn’t get an ID card. I want to assure the public out there that if you have not been able to catch this registration which ends tomorrow you will have a chance to register during the claims and objections period. Which will be an extended period.

So I want all to be alerted that to ensure that they get their source documents to make it easy for themselves and for GECOM.”