PSC executives rally around chairman, Gerry Gouveia

Apr 28, 2020 News

The current executive of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) is rallying around its Chairman, Captain Gerry Gouveia, who has come under fire in recent days for allegedly splitting the business body.

PSC’s chairman, Captain Gerry Gouveia

Former Chair, Beni Sankar, in a public letter, in scathing comments last week, said that Gouveia has split the PSC, unnecessarily and made statements that did not have the support of all the executives of the body.
The PSC has in recent years, been accused by the Coalition of having a political agenda with Gouveia singled out as having a close relationship with the main Opposition party, the People’s Progressive Party.
Coalition supporters have been making its clear on social media that it believes the PSC is politically tainted.
However, the PSC in a statement defending its Chairman, said that it is aware that a number of “reprehensible public statements” have recently been made aimed at the character assassination of the Commission’s Chairman.
Those statements have denigrated the “Commission for its public commitment to the free, fair, transparent and credible conduct and conclusion of the General and Regional Elections held on 2nd March, 2020,” PSC said.
“The Commission’s Constitution and Articles of Association ensure that the Chairman and Executive Committee of the Commission conduct the business of the Commission, including all public statements issued by the Commission, with the approval of the majority of the Executive Committee and, where required, the Council of the Commission.”
PSC said too that it will continue to meet its obligations to all of its members to address all matters which relate to the good governance and security and maintenance of the country as a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law.

Former chairman, Beni Sankar

It was noted by the PSC that the statement has been issued and signed by the members of the Executive Committee including the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Corporate Coordinator and Chairmen of the following Sub Committees: Environment, Energy Trade and Investment, Infrastructure, Governance and Security, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Public Communications and Human Resources Development.
In his letter last week, Sankar whose family was once the biggest millers of rice on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, insisted that Gouveia took the Commission into the political arena.
“For starters, like any stakeholder in the elections process the PSC applied for and was granted observer status. Gouveia was more than an observer. He became the transport officer for the diplomats stationed in Guyana. When the results of those elections were announced Gouveia, like the opposition forces in Guyana and the diplomats of the ABCE countries, claimed that the results for District Four lacked transparency and credibility.”
Sankar pointed out that the matter was taken to court and in the end, a final decision was taken.
It was disclosed that Gouveia decided to write to a number of foreign organisations seeking to have them influence the outcome of the recount.
“One letter was sent to the Organisation of American States which had fielded an observer team.
That letter was sent on behalf of the PSC but many in the PSC said that they were not consulted or shown the letter before it was sent. The letter, which was published in the local media, echoed the sentiments of the People’s Progressive Party. Although the opposition agreed to a total recount, Gouveia like the opposition members wanted a recount of District Four (Region Four) alone.”
Sankar said that based on information provided by the Commissioners, the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, produced a timetable that would see the recount taking 156 days.
“This is still to be discussed by the Commission. But Gouveia, like the mouthpiece of the political opposition, criticized the duration of the recount. The opposition on its own did not voice an objection, publicly, but Gouveia made the opposition voice heard by writing on behalf of the PSC criticizing the recount.”