72-yr-old sworn in as GECOM Commissioner

Seventy-two-year-old Desmond Hugh Trotman, a former Member of Parliament, took the oath of Office on Friday at State House as the new commissioner at the Guyana Elections Commission, following the demise of Sandra Jones.
At the swearing-in ceremony, President David Granger said he had consulted all the parties in the coalition Administration, and had requested that they submit nominees for the position.

The Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) submitted Trotman, while the Alliance For Change submitted former Member of Parliament Trevor Williams, and the People’s National Congress and the other coalition partners submitted Attorney Kesaundra Alves. Alves is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
In selecting Trotman, Granger said on Friday, the appointment is in the interest of advancing the nation. He noted that among the names nominated, he is of the opinion that Trotman was the “fittest”, and comes with years of experience in electoral matters.
Following the ceremony, Trotman told reporters that he brings to the position over 30 years of experience in electoral matters, and that cannot be brushed aside.
He added that he is also going to sit on the Commission as a Guyanese, as opposed to being a member of a political party.
“I would hope that the other members of the Commission would assume that posture. I believe that the commissioners representing the Government side would understand the importance of adopting a position that advances the interest of the nation, and I would hope the commissioners on the other side will take the same position.
“I look forward to working on the Commission, and I hope whatever decisions we arrive at are decisions that would advance the interest of the people, as distinct (from) the interest of political parties,” he explained.
Trotman, also a member of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA), has said that if membership in SARA poses a conflict of interest, he would resign from the SARA post to continue work as a commissioner at GECOM.
“I looked at the law up to last night, and I did not see anything in the law that says that I am not qualified to hold both positions. But if it is that wiser counsel would offer advice that I am not eligible to hold both positions, certainly I will resign. I believe that it is important that the Commission advance the interest of the nation,” Trotman told reporters.
The Guyana Elections Commission has six commissioners. The Constitution of Guyana allows the President to have three nominees on the Commission based on his own judgement; the other three are to be appointed based on the judgement of the Opposition.