GECOM Chair sidesteps APNU/AFC’s COVID-19 Task Force to add new stations

…calls Govt guidelines informative, not mandatory

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been given the APNU/AFC-appointed COVID-19 Task Force’s approval to set up an additional two—of the requested six counting stations—at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), to aid in the accelerated completion of the National Recount of the votes cast on March 2.

The new stations—to be implemented from today—are not expected, however, to be enough to supplement the existing ten counting stations’ bid to recount the 2339 ballots boxes in which votes were cast across the country, within the 25-day deadline.
The diktat from the National coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Task Force, however, came after GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, had already gone ahead and taken a decision to establish two new counting stations at the venue.
GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander confirmed the additional workstations on Monday, as the Commission set about concluding day 13 of the recount exercise.

GECOM failures
Alexander told reporters—encamped in the makeshift media centre outside of the ACCC venue—permission was handed down by the National COVID-19 Task Force, which submitted its report to the Commission on Monday.
Alexander told reporters, “I saw a report emanating from COVID [-19 Task Force], which report has given us permission to establish two more workstations.”
He indicated also that there was an expressed concern in the report with regard to “total adherence to the stipulations that they have previously given to us and in giving permission for two additional workstations, they are emphasising that we should adhere to all of the stipulations.”
The GECOM Commissioner cited as an example, social distancing, in addition to proper sanitising and other COVID-19 measures that have been put in place by the Task Force.
Unable to speak to the specific criteria used by the Task Force to deny the total requested six additional stations and to only approve two, Alexander told media operatives, “they raised the question of congestion; I think congestion speaks to the overall number of persons in the location.”
According to the Commissioner, the Task Force expressed concern over the number of persons that would be accommodated at the venue.

GECOM Chair acted
GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward in confirming the setting up of the additional workstations indicated that the electoral body’s Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, had, prior to receiving the report, indicated to the Commission that she was going to go ahead and set up the two stations.
She told reporters that one of the new workstations would be allocated to the recount of the ballots cast in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and another doing Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Briefing media operatives on the Task Force’s report, Ward told media operatives that following the field visit by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), the unit lamented the fact that guidelines that had been issued were being flouted and that the venue was congested.
As such, the Task Force indicated that “we do not envisage more than two additional recount stations as this will increase [the] probability of the spread of infection.”
Speaking specifically to the deficiencies identified, Ward noted that during the site visit, some 19 persons were found not wearing masks, while a rapid inspection of the Centre found that two of the handwashing facilities did not have soap.
Additionally, the social distancing guidelines were not being adhered, according to Ward.
This was noted specifically at the counting stations, where it was found that those agents and GECOM staff were, in fact, clustered and not adhering the issued guidelines.
Asked to pronounce on the fact that Justice (retd) Singh, prior to receiving the Task Force’s go ahead, had already taken a decision to implement the new stations, Ward told media operatives, “I think the Chair in her own deliberate judgement, she has been looking at the possibilities of expediting this process.”

Coincidence
She declined to speculate on the rationale behind Singh’s decision to add two new stations prior to receiving consent from the Task Force, save to say “I think she was trying to really play it safe in establishing two while she awaited the Task Force.”
Conceding that the recount exercise is currently behind schedule, Ward noted: “it is coincidental that in their report that they would have also suggested two.”
Speaking to the need for the pronouncement by the Task Force with regards GECOM taking independent decisions, and the willingness of the Chair to go ahead and add more workstations prior to receiving permission, Ward said: “We are looking at a time factor and against that backdrop of a time factor, if we are to really look at things, I think the Commission in its judgement to expedite the process needed to make some decisions.”
It was noted that the Task Force had visited the GECOM venue at ACCC last Wednesday, with a promise to have the report submitted by the following day.
Asked whether the diktats of the Task Force were, in fact, mandatory, prior to the establishment of any new workstations, Ward responded, saying “I am not sure, I think it’s informative, considering that we have a pandemic, we do not have health officials that sit on the Commission and it’s important for us to have that direction.”
According to Ward, while the Commission would want to have the recount done in an expeditious manner “we have to also consider lives are at risk, we are dealing with a health situation and, therefore, whatever information we have coming from the health authorities, of course, will help to guide the Commission.”
This, she said, is to ensure the Commission’s actions do not jeopardise lives, “so while I wouldn’t want to say that it’s mandatory but again I think it’s informative and I think it is wise that if we are to move ahead considering the current environment we have that it will be instructive in some of those decisions.”