Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 06, 2019 News
By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is of the opinion that the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Keith Lowenfield, is shirking his responsibilities and is overly concerning himself with the politics of the day.
PPP Executive Member, Anil Nandlall, said as much during an interview with Kaieteur News
Nandlall, a former Attorney General, was keen to point out that the CEO is the person appointed by the law at the helm of the statutory machinery—GECOM. He said that the CEO’s role and function is not political but technocratic and legal.
“He holds the legal responsibility for preparing and readying the electoral machinery for elections. A failure to do so is not only an abdication of that responsibility but is also a flagrant breach of statutory duties.”
Nandlall said that from all indications, Lowenfield is not focused enough on readying GECOM for elections. He said that the CEO seems to be too caught up the political theatrics.
According to Nandlall, the fact that the government has caused a series of litigation in relation to the passage of the no-confidence motion should be of no concern to Lowenfield.
He said, too, that once Lowenfield is satisfied about the integrity of the voters’ list, the call for house-to-house registration by the government should not be of concern either.
Nandlall told Kaieteur News, “Ours is a system which has a built-in, cyclical process for continuous registration. This system is designed and intended to have a list of electors ready at short notice for the purpose of elections.”
Additionally, Nandlall pointed out that GECOM successfully concluded Local Government Elections right across Guyana just over two months ago. He said that in so doing, GECOM trained over 10,000 staff and they should be easily accessible.
“It used a list of electors which did not generate any serious complaint about its integrity and accuracy. Local Government Elections are more complex and more difficult than Regional and National Elections.
“Against this reality, there is absolutely no good reason why the Chief Elections Officer cannot have the machinery ready for these elections within the constitutional timeframe.”
Nandlall said that in any event, “GECOM has been advised that elections are constitutionally due by March 20, 2019. GECOM is therefore statutorily mandated to prepare itself to hold elections by that date. The buck stops at the Chief Elections Officer. The law provides him with no wiggle room. He must be ready.”
Yesterday, PPP released a missive to the media registering, again, its dissatisfaction with GECOM.
PPP said that it deems the timelines for General and Regional Elections that were proposed by the Secretariat of GECOM as totally unacceptable, “given that these demonstrate a worrying deviation from its mandate, which is to act in compliance with the Constitution of Guyana.”
PPP said that the successful passage of the no-confidence motion, the validity of which has been upheld by both the legislature and the judiciary, at the level of the High Court, triggered General and Regional Elections and dictates that these must be held by March 19, 2019.
The PPP registered that it will not accept any timelines that are beyond timeframe that is constitutionally stipulated for General and Regional Elections. “No delays will be accepted.”
PPP noted, “Lowenfield, during his meeting with the Chief Whips – as agreed on after the January 9, 2019 meeting between Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, and President David Granger – admitted that he held a meeting of key Secretariat staffers on December 22, 2018 – a day after the December 21, 2018 vote on the no-confidence motion to address a work plan in preparations for General and Regional Elections.”
Further, the PPP noted that GECOM’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Warde, on December 27, 2018, was quoted by the local media corps as saying that ‘GECOM is well prepared, will uphold its constitutional mandate, and will have to immediately put systems in place’ for General and Regional Elections.
PPP said that since then, it would seem that the continued employment of delay tactics by the Government-nominated Commissioners at GECOM have “set the tone for the GECOM Secretariat – solidifying concerns about the Coalition Government’s influence over a constitutional body.”
The position of the PPP is that General and Regional Elections can be held in compliance with the Constitution of Guyana.
Additionally, PPP said that it has taken note of President David Granger’s statements that “according to the Constitution, I remain the President, until the next President is sworn in.”
PPP said that it does not dispute that Granger is President but opted to point out that “the President, conveniently it would seem, ignores the ruling of the Chief Justice (ag), who made clear that upon the passage of the no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, the Cabinet ‘stood resigned.”
PPP said that the President, therefore, must act accordingly.
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