Dear Editor,
The Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) recently indicated its readiness to address competently, the institutional oversight of General and Regional Elections. In the last week of December 2018, sev-eral of our widely circulated newspapers reported the following statement of GECOM’s Public Rela-tions Officer, Ms Yolanda Ward, who in relation to the passing of the No-Confidence motion, affirmed that GECOM would uphold its constitutional mandate. She said: “For us at GECOM, it’s our constitu-tional mandate to conduct General and Regional Elections as well as Local Government Elections. If that is the decision that we will have to conduct elections within a short period, then we will have to ensure that those elections are held as required, because it is our constitutional mandate. I’m sure that our Standard Operating Procedures will click into gear and we will be prepared to execute elec-tions at a time we have been asked to do.”
Further, it is wide knowledge that GECOM has a register of registrants that is valid until the end of April 2019. It is based on the ninth and tenth cycle of continuous registration, and the last claims and objec-tion exercises were undertaken in preparation for the November 12, 2018, Local Government Elec-tions. Hence, GECOM should not have too many adjustments to be fully prepared for the Elections within the constitutionally due “90 Days”, after the Government has fallen. It is no secret that this AP-NU/AFC Government has demonstrated traits of being the most corrupt Government to occupy the seats of our National Assembly. In exercising Government matters, they are most dictatorial, non-transparent and acutely disrespectful to our people and Country’s obligations.
They have failed to fulfil all their Manifesto promises to the citizens while enriching themselves. Signif-icantly, production in most of the vibrant activities and areas they inherited has dropped drastically. This vindictive regime has dashed our youths’ future to the wolves rather than secure it. Spiralling crime, cost of living, as well as increasing taxes, now threatens and enslaves our basic existence, as this illegal Cabinet now attempts to force our people to witness their mantra and geriatrics in Parliament. The mansions and expensive Cadillac lifestyles of the few in the APNU/AFC cabal are too much for our small and hardworking population to bear.
Ramjattan’s recent cries and utterances about new House to House Registration is merely a futile at-tempt to confuse the public and delay the process of having General and Regional Election in the stipu-lated, constitutionally-due date defined by the 90 days period. GECOM’s continuous registration activi-ties improved the same list of registrants by way of the approved methods for use at the 2015, 2016 and 2018 elections. Given there were no outcries from Ramjattan or the APNU who deemed it good for those occasions, what is the issue now?
It is public knowledge that there is a process in place to address the issue of deceased persons on the List of Registrants whereby the GRO department would submit a list of deceased names, which GECOM shall delete after authentication. We now await the statements of GECOM’s Chairman Justice (Retired) James Patterson, who is expected back at work on January 22, 2019.
Mr Ramjattan, your time of calling is now! You and the fraudulent APNU/AFC cabal must answer our citizens at the polls!
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar