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Mar 03, 2015 News
– Suggests it is facilitating foreign “interference”
By Abena Rockcliffe
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) collaborating with the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC). The latter is implementing a programme aimed at bringing out more youths to the polls.
As he hosted PPP’s weekly press conference yesterday at Freedom House, the party’s General Secretary Clement Rohee criticized the “self-anointed” GNYC. The PPP is “concerned” about GECOM’s collaboration with the body, he said.
This, he said, is because the GNYC has no authority to represent Guyana’s youth.
Rohee told the media that as far as the PPP is concerned, GNYC is “a creature of external interference, through the (Leadership and Democracy) LEAD Project and is nothing more than a group of partisan persons who are attempting to hijack the name Guyana National Youth Council.”
The LEAD project is an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It is one that focuses specifically on the capacity of the country’s Parliament, young people, women and Local Government Elections. It aims at enhancing the technical capacity and functionality of the legislature through the regular use of consultative practices and mechanisms for legislative drafting, analysis, review, and passage.
The project, however, has not been one that is favoured by the Guyana Government. It attracted accusations of interference and an almost sour split between local and foreign parties involved. This occurred when US forces were pushing for the holding of Local Government Elections.
When GNYC went to negotiate with GECOM, Glen Bradbury, Chief of Party (USAID/IRI) LEAD Project was a part of the contingent.
It is because of his involvement, the PPP is against the collaboration.
Yesterday Rohee told the media that as far as his Party is aware, the decision to enter into a formal arrangement “with this partisan body of youths or anybody” must be made by GECOM’s Commissioners.
Further, he noted that the matter was never discussed at the Commission level and declared that “those who are making such a claim are clearly over stepping their authority. The PPP rejects this outright interference and imposition on the electorate of Guyana.”
The General Secretary urged that GECOM Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, take the matter to the Commissioners, whom he said are the highest decision makers in GECOM, for review and a final determination.
Rohee said that GECOM should collaborate only with legitimate and recognized organizations whose representation can be seen as bipartisan and in the interest of all Guyanese. “The locus standi of the so-called Guyana National Youth Council is highly questionable,” he said.
Nevertheless, Rohee said that the PPP wants to see GECOM intensify its voter education programme, especially in rural areas and the Hinterland Regions. He told the media that previous experiences have taught the PPP that a large percentage of rejected ballots on polling day were occasioned as a result of poor voters’ education by GECOM, resulting in lack of knowledge by voters, especially with regards to changes made in between elections.
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