…urges APNU to do ‘field work’ to ensure no disenfranchisement
Leader of the Opposition and General Secretary of the Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, said they are very much concerned over the decision by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to make changes to the Revised List of Electors (RLE) at such a late stage in the process for preparation for General and Regional Elections.
Jagdeo was at the time addressing reporters at his Church Street, Georgetown Office during his weekly press briefing.
The former President said that GECOM has informed them that they will be making changes to over 91,000 addresses on the RLE even after completing a period of Claims and Objections along with House to House Registration.
“You have seen the Peoples’ Progressive Party’s position in the last week when we discovered what we thought was settled, a surreptitious resurgence of activities that should never really have taken place. The Revised Voters’ List was produced which included the PLE (Preliminary List of Electors) plus the 6000 odd names from the Claims and Objections, plus the 16,000 new registrants. There should be no change thereafter because the statutory process has been complied with but now we are hearing internally that 91, 000 changes will be made to the voters’ list where addresses will be changed.” Jagdeo said.
He noted that the party remains concerned with the integrity of the list and is paying keen attention to what is going on at GECOM. He went on to say that the magnitude of the change should have never happened, save and except for minor ones.
“We had 365,000 transactions done through house to house registration before it was stopped and they are claiming that 914 of the 365,000 people changed their addresses in this process. That is over 25 per cent. That, by any standard, is an unbelievable number and this could unless verified should be reversed,” Jagdeo contended.
He went on to say that the PPP/C disagrees with GECOM Chair’s Justice Claudette Singh’s contention that Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield has the authority to change the RLE. However. Jagdeo notes that even if Lowenfield has the authority to effect such change that it should be a cause for concern for all involved since the date for the production of the Official List of Electors is fast-approaching – January 25.
“They have not completed making the changes as yet and so this must be a cause for concern for the whole country and particularly the Chair to allow the staff to make 91,000 changes to the voters list in addresses when they made so many errors even in the cross-referencing in the imputing of data for the fingerprinting exercises. The margin of error was over 100 per cent and a minor error here could result in the disenfranchisement of the voters,” he said.
“We brought it to the attention of the people here to provide technical help to GECOM but it is an obligation on the part of the Chair and CEO to ensure that each of these changes is verified because if it leads to displacement then people will be disenfranchised…I want to use APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) to get the changes and go do some fieldwork so that none of their supporters is disenfranchised as well,” Jagdeo added.
Unlawful
Meanwhile, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that the move taken by GECOM is not catered for in law.
Nandlall described the news as “shocking”. Questioning the basis for GECOM’s actions, he pointed out that there is no provision in the law for changing the RLE outside of the statutorily provided process.
“It is the data generated from the incredible Houses-to-House Registration exercise, commenced by an illegally appointed Chairman of GECOM, which GECOM itself aborted. As have been repeatedly stated, this data was never the subject of a Claims and Objections exercise which would have showcased it for public scrutiny and, to date, it remains unverified.”
“I have made the point repeatedly that elections are a statutory process which requires strict compliance. This process provides adequate mechanisms of safeguards which protect the process. In this respect, Guyana is no different from the rest of the Commonwealth.”
He pointed out that when the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) was first published and posted around the country, the law allowed for persons to use the Claims and Objections period to inspect the list and make any changes to their particulars.
“It is significant to note that the Claims and Objections exercise yielded a total of less than 7000 changes to the PLE. The law requires these changes to be effected after which the Revised Voters List is produced which ought to have captured these changes.”
“There is simply no provision in the law which allows for these 91,000 changes to take place. To do so would be ultra vires, unlawful and illegal. Moreover, it is outright dangerous to facilitate this now, since, there is no opportunity for anyone to examine what these changes are before they are incorporated into the Official List of Electors.”
According to Nandlall, it can lead to confusion and switched addresses when persons do go to vote on March 2. But he noted that by then, it will be too late to make changes and persons may be unable to go to the right polling station.
Legal
However, GECOM has since defended its action claiming that the changes are legal and catered for in the laws.
The Commission noted that Regulation 37 of the National Registration (Residents) Regulations Act, Chapter 19:08 provides for the Commissioner of National Registration to make corrections to the Revised List of Electors.
It states, “If within the period of twenty-one days after he had certified lists, the Commissioner is satisfied that any entry or omission in any list as revised pursuant to regulation 35 is incorrect through inadvertence in the course of such revision, he shall make or cause to be made the requisite correction to that list and such copy thereof as is
open for inspection at any registration office and the Commissioner shall give to the person to whom such correction relates notice thereof, which may be sent by registered post to his last known address.”
GECOM noted that it considered the legal provisions and is confident in its system which is vital to ensure that persons who would have had changes done to their addresses, during the House-to House Registration exercise is in accordance with the law and does not fall outside of the statutory period.
GECOM has a duty to ensure that the information of all Electors are accurately reflected on the Official List of Electors to avoid confusion. If that process is not done, Electors would be required to travel to their old addresses to vote. As such, those persons would be displaced and disenfranchised which could result in low voter turnout and questionable election results, the statement noted.
