LGC has a tall order and must get pro-active

Dear Editor,
It is most duplicitous and bemusing that we are seeing calls from among the strongest of political agents of the Government, for the appointed Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Local Government Commission (LGC) to be impartial and non-partisan.
Hypocritically, the noises now come from the same people who were the strongest advocates of impartiality. Persons known for their roles as the main proponents of the unconstitutional People’s National Congress (PNC) Sophia Declaration, and the following rigged referendum to declare party-paramountcy over law in our dear Guyana.
From the outset, it is widely known that the construct of these commissions from which members are drawn, is based on political party’s representation of constituencies which must support their development ideals in fairness and within the rule of law. It follows that legitimate expectations of objectivity, fairness and transparency would be derived from the placement of representatives. Importantly, the balance ought to be established through knowledgeable and equal representation together with an impartial Chairman.
Vincent Alexander’s recent article ‘Constitutional commissions are independent and apolitical’, shamelessly flies in the face of objectivity. After years as a GECOM Commissioner, he suddenly seems to be awakening from his slumbers and is calling for the proper functioning of GECOM and the LGC. As one of the most known political activists who were the one-time leader of the youth arm of the famous PNC; the Young Socialist Movement and a former Executive Member of the PNC, he now wishes for Commissioners to be neutral in their role.
Notably, this same PNC member and party representative at GECOM was there when all the millions of dollars’ fraud took place at the GECOM Secretariat. Further, Alexander was serving as a Commissioner and did not call for neutrality regarding the seriously biased and compromised GECOM staffing which have a 90 per cent one ethnic group is employed. Vincent Alexander must come out publicly and let this nation know if he is impartial at GECOM.
Further, the very fact that Charles Corbin, the brother of the former YSM leader and leader of the PNC is also the PNC representative on the Guyana Elections Commission, must speak volumes of the PNC’s vested interest in GECOM. The very fact that Alexander had nothing to say regarding the unilateral and breach of all norms in the appointment of GECOM’s Chairman, speaks to the double-dealing nature of the man.
It is therefore more than justifiable that the Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo, must continue to lead the struggle and demand that GECOM put itself in order.
As for the Local Government Commission, it is time that the members assert themselves in executing their constitutional functions.
Alexander and the like cannot play deaf to broad-based public demands towards the implementation of the deliberately delayed LGC by the Government. It cannot be denied that these were met with stifled response and suppression of delivery of the tools necessary for the Commissioners to work effectively. The sudden shout out therefore, is only designed to camouflage many of the blatantly unacceptable Government indecencies.
There is a strong need for review and strategic capacity building in the Local Government Area councils. Many of the Overseers have no training and cannot string two sentences together. One only has to look at the minutes of the meetings and letters that they are writing to observe the massive deficiencies.
The LGC has a tall order and must therefore get pro-active, look at the serious staffing issues and work out mechanisms to improve and monitor the general regulation of the persons involved in administration of Local Authority Areas.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar