Dear Editor,
Chairman of GECOM, Justice (retd) Claudette Singh, was regarded by many as always tilting towards one side in her decisions. Both the international community and the mass of Guyanese people had become resigned to this trend, until the issue of the 29 ECD ballot boxes surfaced.
RO Mingo had ordered the Presiding Officers not to place the ancillary documents in the boxes, but to put them in bags he supplied, and then bring them to him. Presiding Officers, who knew such a procedure was contrary to their training, reluctantly obeyed because of the pressures of the moment.
When the issue came to the Commission, Chairman Claudette Singh decided in favour of democracy and had the votes in the boxes counted, and this surprised PNC/APNU, who had taken her for granted, as always tilting towards them.
Mr Jagdeo, who had always sympathised with her, as against opinions of many, elucidated her plight: Justice Singh had always been dealing with rational and civilised colleagues, but as Chairman of GECOM, she encountered, for the first time in her life, irrational and brutish colleagues. She found herself in a pincer, subjected to the raw and crude PNC/APNU pressures coming from both the Commission and the Secretariat.
With her decision on the 29 boxes, she broke free, and would never again succumb to any kind of barbaric pressure.
With Mr Jagdeo’s elucidation, she has the complete support of all political and other forces in Guyana, as well as the international community; except for the PNC/APNU cabal, who now realise that their claws have been cut and justice Singh would now boldly throw back in their faces any of their attempted pressures.
Chairman Claudette is again herself, and is ready to fearlessly uphold democracy.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Validum
Ramlochan
