Govt. attempting to manipulate GECOM

Oct 25, 2010 News

…will take action to ensure elections not derailed- Carberry

It is quite clear that the administration, namely the executive, has been attempting to manipulate the operations of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
This was disclosed by Chief Whip of the Peoples National Congress Reform, Lance Carberry who was at the time responding to utterance made by Head of the Presidential Secretariat as it relates to his missive on the manner in which the Commission could advertise.
He was at the time speaking to media operatives during the party’s weekly media briefing.
“Let’s put it this way, I don’t believe that the government has any right to try to manipulate GECOM,” said Carberry, adding that he does not believe that the Commission should have been a Budget Agency under Office of the President.
He said that it takes from the autonomy of the Commission if it remains as a Budget Agency under the Office of the President and the fact that this has remained over the years, makes it clear that the administration has been attempting to manipulate.
Carberry said that it is the responsibility of the GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally to ensure that the commission discharges its constitutional mandate to the satisfaction of all Guyanese.
GECOM is responsible for management of the next General Elections which is constitutionally mandated by August 2011.
He said that while he did not want to speculate on how government machinations at GECOM could impact on the upcoming elections, his party is closely monitoring the situation.
Carberry did point out that they will take whatever action that is necessary to prevent the Government from derailing the upcoming elections.
Dr Luncheon on Wednesday last lashed out at what he called ‘wicked people’, including Commissioners at the Guyana Elections Commission.
Luncheon said that recent statements in the press would suggest that the Commissioners at GECOM only recently learnt of his directive as it relates to the migration of some specific advertisements to the government procurement website.
Luncheon reminded that there was a gestation period and the decision was consummated a long time ago.
“I don’t know if the commission has suddenly had a rethink on the issue…It’s a bunch of ill informed wicked people out there…they are quite prepared to take the opportunity to war,” said Dr Luncheon.
The recent order by Dr Luncheon was high on the agenda of GECOM when Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally and Commissioners of the body the previous day.
Speaking to members of the media, one of the Commissioners, Moen McDoom revealed that although GECOM is an autonomous body it is constrained by the fact that it is funded by Central Government.
According to McDoom, being a budgeted entity, GECOM is governed by certain legalities.
He nonetheless contended that should GECOM seek to utilise merely the internet for advertising purposes its operation could be severely impacted.
“For instance, if we are going to hire people to do work…I don’t know how the internet could work because quite a lot of people don’t have access to the internet and computers and what have you…If it is a constitutional matter we are entitled to advertise in the local media.”