Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 14, 2014 News
Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region One, Barima/Waini, Nigel Fisher has distanced himself from Community Service Officers (CSO) who were reportedly posing as employees of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
This comes in the wake of GECOM announcing that the bogus employees had in their possession a copy of a letter purportedly written by the Regional Executive Officer of the Region authorizing them to visit homes with copies of extracts of the current Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) to check, and advise residents, on their registration status.
But the Region One REO categorically denied issuing any such authorization, claiming instead that the CSOs were under the supervision of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
According to articles carried in several sections of the media, GECOM had stated that none of its staff were engaged in any such activity in Region One or any other Region.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Region One REO expressed great concern and dismay over the articles that linked him to the CSO’s.
“I will like to inform the public that I am not aware of any group or groups of persons in Region One posing as Community Service Officers (CSO) operating under the pretend of GECOM representatives. I will like to verify that there are Community Service Officers in the Region, but they come under the supervision of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs which means that neither I nor my office has any control over those groups,” the REO stated.
He said that he is disappointed that GECOM did not seek to engage the Regional Administration in a discussion to clarify the authenticity of the allegation before fingering him in the alleged scheme.
“As Regional Executive Officer, I am peeved by the fact that my name has been forged by someone or groups of persons giving them authorization to conduct preliminary election activity. I strongly reprimand this act and deem it malicious,” Fisher said.
Concerns about the CSO’s activity were also raised by the Peoples National Congress Reform, which said that it is aware that the People’s Progressive Party Civic is using ‘so called’ Community Support Officers (CSO) to do political work in the Barima-Waini Region.
“These CSO’s who are paid by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs are masquerading as officers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and canvassing residents of the Region. The PNCR calls attention to the fact that these persons (CSO’s) are members of the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO) engaging in illegal campaign activity on behalf of the PPPC,” the PNCR said.
One PNCR official insinuated that the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs is using state funds to carry out elections activities on behalf of the ruling PPPC.
According to the PNCR official, these same CSOs were recruited by the PPP and brought to the city to protest the opposition cuts to the Amerindian Development Fund.
“Maybe this is what they wanted the funds for; to pay persons to carry out PPP work,” the PNCR official noted.
Yesterday, this newspaper observed PPP personnel armed with copies of the Preliminary List of Electors, in Water Street, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara, conducting a verification exercise.
They had no identification cards but they were quick to point out that they were working for the People’s Progressive Party and not the Guyana Elections Commission, when confronted by reporters from this newspaper.
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