Contradictory derogation from assigned constitutional mandate

Dear Editor,
Since President Granger’s flagrant appointment of Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the organisation’s credentials has swiftly degenerated to a spectrum of laugh and gaff at every opportunity of examination at home and abroad. In effect, under the watch of Patterson, there is an absolute contradictory derogation from the assigned constitutional mandate, which he and the Government’s Commissioners are trampling in full public view.
The nature of national self-conflict that Commission has become is one of biased factual convenience. One that is solely intent on serving the political control and directions of the PNC/R cabal. We are reliably informed that from the miserable failures to hold meetings, sometimes because of the Chairman’s preference to become ill, to the unparliamentary and callous approach of addressing matters at meetings have become the characteristic nature. Often times, there has been no agenda, evidence of deliberate poor communication with Opposition Commissioners; together with the Chairman and his PNC colleagues prevailing bias dictatorial altitude.
GECOM is not an ‘arm’ of the People’s National Congress and the meetings of the Commission are certainly not caucuses of the PNC/R as treated by Patterson. Neither is the Guyana Constitution a compendium of jokes written by joker Vincent Alexander, whose current gloating approach will come full circle. The Constitution is our bible and supreme establishment of citizens’ rights and limitations to Government’s excessiveness. With the passing of the No-Confidence Motion, it is clear that our Constitution kicks in automatically.
Further, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, publicly said that the organisation is ready for elections while the Chief Executive Officer, Keith Lowenfield, said publicly that the voters’ list is ready. In conflict with its constitutional mandate, the now structurally flawed and biased Commission has taken every possible step to reverse this position, invoking options intended on contaminating an accepted and legitimate prudently verifiable status. The likes of Nigel Hughes and the vindictive Vincent Alexander, who is trying desperately to find a playing space in the PNC/R, is trying all sorts of sand dancing in an effort to kick sand in the eyes of citizens.
GECOM’s website is clear: it states, “subsequent to the 2001 General and Regional Elections, political parties had agitated for legislative changes which would ensure that a new system of voter registration guarantees Guyanese in General, but more specifically their own supporters, their constitutional right to be registered and vote at future General, Regional and Local Government Elections.
This led to the introduction of Continuous Registration with two primary objectives as follow:
1. Introducing a system which would ensure that all eligible persons are afforded unlimited opportunities to become registered on the National Register of Registrants Database. And,
2. Ensuring that GECOM is in a perpetual state of preparedness which would enable it to respond to calls for elections in a timely manner thus guaranteeing eligible persons their constitutional right to become registered in accordance with the relevant legal provisions and to cast their ballots at future General, Regional and Local Government Elections.”
GECOM is a creature (agency) of the Constitution with autonomy and responsibility to comply with the constitutional intent. In this case, that meant readying itself for General and Regional Elections, which were due on March 21, 2019, after the successful passage of the NCM that resulted in the fall of the APNU/AFC coalition Government.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar