GECOM Chairman says Guyana must now move to electronic voting

By Ariana Gordon 

 

Cognisant of the stress endured by citizens as a result of the delayed release of the results of the just-concluded general and regional elections, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally has committed to ensuring that Guyana moves towards electronic voting.

Surujbally had been under a lot of pressure recently for the inordinate delay in the declaration of the results, which was further postponed several times last Thursday.

Speaking to an audience of several diplomats, and members of observer missions and civil society at the Pegasus Hotel just before the results of the 2011 polls were declared, Surujbally said the delay in the declaration of the results for approximately two and a half days makes the point that Guyana should have electronic voting stronger.

“Having said all of that, all of this is hinting to one thing, we are in the electronic age, and the age in, where it has been proven, like in the case of India where 760 million people go to the polls and by the evening, they know the result.

Accordingly, I, hereby, give my commitment that I will try my utmost to pursue an initiative for a pilot project to carry out a comparative electronic voting system when we embark on the preparations for local government elections next year,” he stated.

Surujbally added that the support of all is needed in such a venture.

Meanwhile, he noted that the election process was not at all compromised, noting that it complied with international best practices.

“We must, at all times, strive to get it right: that is why the results, having been derived from the elections which were conducted in accordance with international best practice must be absolutely accurate, must be unchallengeable, and must be able to withstand any scrutiny.”

He said it is normal for the citizens to be anxious for the results, but GECOM would not sacrifice accuracy to please the nation. “… some of you must have been impatient and such impatience might have reflected itself in genuine or feigned peevishness, but ladies and gentlemen think about the alternative if we did not pursue the path we did. If we were to make unsubstantiated and incorrect declarations, the possible repercussion effects could be hideous and tragic to even contemplate.”

He continued: “Certainly, we could have accepted telephone calls throughout the night on November 28, relaying the results as some people have suggested; we would have made the necessary calculations based on the information received from the presiding officers by phone and then the results are declared on the 29th and then those who were saying we took too long would be happy, but then apart from being in contravention of the laws – the laws associated with the declaration of the results – that would be a recipe for disaster.”

He noted that only ill-informed persons could advocate a proposal for GECOM to accept the results via telephone without certification, noting that the Statement of Poll (SOP) of each polling station has to be checked for accuracy and double checked by the returning officers ensuring that they collectively represent the totality of the results of the balloting conducted at the various polling stations within the districts.

He said if an error is detected, then the process must stop and the retuning officer must further scrutinise the SOPs. “It cannot go forward uncorrected.”

The chairman added that under no circumstance would the chief election officer, the lone person to declare the results of the elections, “unilaterally make changes to the reports prepared by any returning officer”.

GECOM, Surujbally said, has held firm to its mandate and to the laws that govern its actions and methodologies, “even in the face of flack from our uncomprehending and sometimes unsympathetic public – the blogs speak for themselves, but you know, I am not aware of any political party, even remotely, even by inference, suggesting any departure from these legal procedures. The political parties are telling us to stay by the law.”

He described the complaints about the process as “disingenuous and perhaps hypocritical, and… perfidious.” The chairman stressed: “I have to make it absolutely clear that GECOM has not, and will never be involved, as has been suggested, in any clandestine machinations with any political party nor did we rig elections, let that sink into the minds of the doubt casters.”

Surujbally continued: “We at GECOM acknowledge that our citizenry are anxious to know the results of the poll, but more importantly, I am convinced that the people would want to be assured that those results have been reliably arrived at via a series of careful checks and balances, with one of the primary objectives being that they get the guarantee that the casting of their ballots actually mean something and that it is valued.”