Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally, has said that members of that commission have risen above engaging in political mêlée, despite retaining their political persuasions. Dr Surujbally made these remarks several weeks after the political opposition called for that electoral body to be made up of persons without links to any political party, and for the commission to be in control of its own finances.
But the GECOM chairman has said that, while he had always supported changing the set up of the commission, he is no longer certain that “change is absolutely necessary.”
“They have evolved into a group that would do the right thing,” he added. Dr Surujbally pointed to cases where the commission had unanimity. He, nevertheless, acknowledged the difficulty involved in finding a group of “noble men and women” without political affiliation in a small country like Guyana.
The commission chairman said any talk about change will have to be seriously discussed. He noted that those seeking change will have to come up with proper methodologies to support their proposals.
On the issue of financing, Dr. Surujbally sarcastically questioned which election body in the world did not benefit from monies from government coffers. He suggested that what is necessary is the need to have safeguards to ensure access to funds, so that the commission can carry out its mandate, and to guard against a similar situation in which the commission incurred debts.
At a civil society forum organised by the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), David Patterson, of the AFC, said the party believes that selection of the six-member commission should be done as follows: two selected by the President of Guyana; two by the opposition, after adequate consultation; and two by civil society, one of whom should be a woman. These commissioners, he recommended, should have term limits which do not exceed seven years, and no commissioner should serve for more than one term.
But, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Vice Chairman Basil Williams told the gathering of civil society groups that that party is quite satisfied with the selection process for the commissioners — the system being three selected by the government and the other three by the opposition. He did, however, support the views of his colleagues on GECOM’S independence, declaring that the commission should be able to manage its own finances; since, too often, the government withholds funding at critical times in the commission’s work.
However, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Donald Ramotar, said: “The composition of GECOM as it is has delivered free and fair elections.” Accordingly, he does not see the necessity to change the composition of the commission.
“It (the manner of selecting the commissioners) has been so good that the opposition recommended that it be placed in the constitution in 2001.” “What has happened since then to make them want to change their minds?”
The GHRA believes that Guyana’s electoral arrangements fall towards the bottom of any ranking of electoral systems according to accountability, impartiality, and fairness. The association is pushing for electoral reform — a notion that might be difficult to pursue holistically before the next General Elections, set for mid-year, though it has been supported by the opposition political parties. GECOM is responsible for the administration and conduct of elections in Guyana. Headed by a chairman and six commissioners, GECOM is supported by core staff in its secretariat.
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