GECOM arrangements display a heightened lack of probity

Dear Editor,
As the elections fever gets hotter, a determined Guyanese electorate is bracing to be a part of the inexorable collision of forces, which will lead the corrupt Granger-led coalition dictatorship to a massive defeat at the March 02, 2020 polls. Observably, the role of key players at GECOM on this collision course has proven to be biased, nontransparent and elusive to expected fair practices that they have deliberately kept below minimum acceptability.
Fresh in the memory of all Guyanese is GECOM joining the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) cases, in an attempt to defend Mr Granger’s illegal machinations of the organisation. Although the CCJ ruled against the illegally appointed and biased Chairman, the appointment of a new Chairman did eliminate the realised James Patterson negative effects. In fact, current Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield unilaterally attempted to carry out his House-to-House in defiance of the Constitution, and Justice Claudette Singh had to halt those actions.
The Secretariat under Keith Lowenfield has recently rolled out another ninth hour set of glaring clandestine manoeuvres, particularly, relating to the reduction of polling places in PPP/C strongholds. The negative influences of these and many other unclarified positions smack the highest clandestine suspicions and display a heightened lack of probity regarding GECOM. Lowenfield’s pretence of minimising the number of previously utilised residences as polling places has been selective as there is much public evidence to show the hypocritical nature of the approach to create confusion.
As an example, the APNU coalition’s traditional stronghold areas in North and South Ruimveldt after Lowenfield’s choices remain imbued with Polling Places that are residences. Meanwhile, many of the new public building published are unsuited to the activities. Such is the case of the Eccles Health Centre, which could only conveniently accommodate voters using tents in the yard of the compound. Further, the use of an increasing number of tents around the country will realise situations affecting the users such as bad weather, mosquitoes and other insects, while lighting will become a critical factor after six o’clock when voting ceases. GECOM must, therefore, state what measures they plan to put in place to counter these possible anomalies.
For the wider population, there is a measure of insurance against GECOM’s conundrums, as election agents of the parties and observers would be present to witness the votes of electors counted in the polling places. Although Lowenfield is combining to make it harder for some perceived PPP/C strongholds, such actions will only serve as an incentive for the persons affected to make a more determined effort to get to the place of polls. Otherwise, the PPP/C will get them there and the massive defeats at the 2016 and 2018 Local Government Elections will continue, as the APNU/AFC is doom to be humiliated.
GECOM is on trial to conduct free and fair elections and their administrators have created a stony thorn-filled path towards evaluation. Actors in GECOM have stretched the nations’ tolerance to its breaking point and attempts by any person to interfere with the electoral process will have dire consequences. The passivity of a peaceful PPP/C competitor, however, must not be underestimated and the Election Day staff must perform in a professional way. While the polling agents are well trained and the observers will be on the alert for any skulduggery. All eyes will be on GECOM and they are under serious scrutiny.
GECOM’s action has put political activists of parties outside the Granger coalition cabal to the sword, as they had to do thorough House-to-House work on four different occasions. However, that has incensed a steely determination and made them more intimately connected with the masses. As such, the PPP/C’s polling agents are fully aware of all the names in the respected Divisions. This will make it possible for the operational flow in the community and the smooth motivation for all the voters to go out and vote early.
GECOM has continued selection of staff. Polling day staff continues in a partisan manner, but let it be clear that no planted Presiding Officer or Poll Clerks will be allowed to do any mischief. Given the GECOM Secretariat’s now confusing approach, the PPP/C is putting systems in place to ensure that they guide voters to their respective Polling Stations even if it means fetching them, to counter the newly created one or two-miles displacement. One hopes there are no further problems in knowing the polling places given the published positions, and particularly, the Polling Booth where each person will be voting.
While the national ID card continues to be an issue, GECOM must find the way forward for the free flow for voting on Elections Day, which must be provided to the contesting parties. I am advocating for the advanced release of the folio of photographic details of voters for individual polling places, as this would help to alleviate some of the emerging problems related to the non-issuing of ID cards. The world is looking at Guyana and our democracy is on trial. We cannot be moving from democracy to the dictatorship of a Granger Administration under scrutiny for corruption, dishonesty, and cronyism.
The world is looking and we know the international community is evaluating and monitoring the situation leading up to elections. In the meanwhile, the PPP/C continues to be vigilant with the people to do all that is necessary for a resounding victory on March 3, 2020.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar