GECOM on track to host transparent LGE in 2023!

Dear Editor,
Since August 2020, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has undertaken several concurrent activities aimed centrally at re-modelling and improving the organization’s previously sullied image, while readying itself for the hosting of the overdue Local Government Elections (LGEs). The associated success of the work of the Commission led by Chairwoman Justice (retired) Claudette Singh is particularly relevant and merits objective discussion, or the award of credit where applicable.
Notable is the concomitant existence of a created volatile environment strongly influenced and characterized by numerous continuous irrational positions being directed from the ‘core hub’ of leading Opposition political elements and their agents. One must therefore associate GECOM’s initial tricky period of cautious incremental progress with the need to recover from the debacle of key operational managers placed before the Courts to answer charges associated with electoral fraud; their flagrant abuse of discretion, disregard for adopted precedence or legal decisions, and the need to reverse the impact of these persons on required organizational culture.
In examining the significant work undertaken and completed to ready itself and the nation for the March 2023 scheduled LGEs, one must appreciate that the Commission’s measured success and delivery thus far were not without conflict and challenges. Guyanese by now are fully aware of the rollout of the PNC’s book of tricks to create a mirage of problems due to their general unwillingness to contest LGEs. These are evidenced by the consistently destabilizing pursuits when in and out of power. Historically, after more than two decades of the PNC Government of Guyana, the PPP/C held LGEs in 1994, almost immediately after winning the support of the electorate in the democratic process of 1992. The PNC did everything to prevent the holding of LGEs under the PPP/C Government. However, immediately after they went into Government in 2015, they went to the National Assembly and all by themselves passed the laws to amend the Continuous Registration process making the Voters List legal for six months to hold LGEs. They did what they wanted with the List, and held LGEs in 2016 using sinister manoeuvres to create subtle strategic advantages such as gerrymandering with the boundaries of Local Authority Areas (LAAs), without consulting with the PPPC or other relevant stakeholders.
Notwithstanding, the PPP/C, while observing the anomalies, never made excuses and went to the polls on both occasions and whipped all the other contestants. In the current setting, the Guyanese people are also witnessing the convenient excuses emerging from other “pseudo” contestants and acolytes of the Coalition, such as the WPA and AFC, who have joined the bandwagon trying to survive under a camouflage of pretending to be relevant.
They will not contest because they are shell organizations.
The WPA has been reduced to a paper group, while the AFC, according to Ramjattan, is a “deadwood”, or rather effectively ‘Dead meat’, given their demonstrated loss of purpose. The few remnants of the remaining hopeful in their Executive are currently hanging on depending on the now-and-then forms of condescending and baseless media critiques. As for the PNC, they will contest the LGEs because they will be looking to stay afloat in the political stream. The PNC will not want to remove themselves totally, because they do not want to fall by the wayside without having a measure of the work they need to do going forward. Moreso, Party and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton does not want to be replaced by default in the PNC.
Consequently, the PNC surprisingly are now forced to accept that Constitutional change is required before the removal of the alleged impugned names from the Voters List. It was the PNC leaders who institutionalized election rigging machinery in Guyana. It took almost three decades for the people in Guyana to resist election rigging in this country. Again, it took five months of keen struggle and a united people along with the unflinching support of the international community to stop the PNC/APNU+AFC from stealing and rigging elections in this country in 2020.
While Guyana is a God-gifted country, thousands of our citizens were forced to flee our dear land because of the brutal, murderous, and discriminatory practices orchestrated by the PNC. To undermine the role of GECOM as a key player in the cycle of democratic establishment of power, Granger made a desperate attempt to give back total control of GECOM to the PNC. His illegal self-imposition of Patterson as Chairman of GECOM, coupled with the employment of riggers, particularly those before the Court for fraud and highly questionable activities, evidences the confirmation of the PNC’s attempt to re-institutionalize rigging in this country.

As our country continues to develop economically and politically, thousands of persons in the diaspora are returning to their homeland. Guyana is a safe and strong paradise, with no recurring threats of earthquakes! No hurricane! And a rejected PNC! So let us welcome our people back home with open arms as proud people, and allow them to contribute.
GECOM must bring on the LGEs.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar