LJP fingers Myers in plot to delay GECOM recount

…laments democracy under threat on Independence anniversary

Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Roxanne Myers is once again under scrutiny, this time from Presidential Candidate of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, who has accused her of deliberately trying to delay the National Recount exercise underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

Decked in traditional Indigenous garb to mark the country’s Independence Anniversary, Shuman on Tuesday expressed concern over the slothfulness of the recount and the fact that close to three months after the March 2 polls, Guyana is yet to get credible results.
According to Shuman, the state of affairs with regards to the continued delay tactics being executed during the recount were being perpetrated by a number of individuals, naming Myers as one that is involved.

“What we see inside is a continued delaying process to undermine the legitimate elected Government that should emanate out of this process,” he stated.
Shuman told media operatives encamped in the makeshift media centre outside of the ACCC venue that “yesterday [Monday], for example, I was informed that one of the Commissioners was supposed to go and walk around the stations with Ms Myers, the DCEO, at 05:00 pm yesterday evening. Yet, at quarter to five, Ms Myers departed the facility and did not return until close to 06:00 pm in the evening when a majority of the stations would have been wrapping up.”
Myers’ departure had also been confirmed by GECOM People’s Progressive Party/Civic Commissioner Sase Gunraj, who was also supposed to have accompanied Myers on that activity.
He too had reported that Myers, at the scheduled time, was absent, but later turned up.
Guyana Times understands the activity by the Secretariat and Commissioners had been planned as part of measures aimed at accelerating the recount process.
As such, Shuman in his discourse with media operatives concluded that “there is a deliberate attempt to stall this democratic process.”
This is not the first time that Myers’ intentions and actions have been under question since it was the DCEO who was seen giving Foreign Affairs Minister, Karen Cummings, a phone to receive a call moments after the Minister had threatened electoral observers to revoke their accreditation.
The international observers had at the time questioned the credibility of the Region Four count that was being declared by Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo.
It was also Myers who demanded that a GECOM Commissioner leave the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) when he attempted to keep watch of the ballot containers when they were first taken to the Centre for a recount.
Shuman on Tuesday took the opportunity to observe that May 26 is Independence Day but refrained from sending out ‘Happy Independence Day’ greetings to Guyanese in light of the prevailing circumstances
“Here we are 54 years later that the very tenets, the very underpinnings of what constitutes an independent, democratic [nation] are under threat in this Arthur Chung Convention Centre,” he lamented.
Shuman used the opportunity to also point out that Guyana’s neighbour, Suriname, had its polling day on Monday and that the results are expected to emerge a few days later.
According to Shuman, “it is unfortunate that 54 years after we would have gained independence, and we would have been recognised as an Independent State, that we are at this juncture – only to be outdone by our neighbours who nine years after us, gained independence and can produce electoral results with integrity two days after they have run elections,” the Presidential Candidate posited.
He concluded, “here we are being schooled by a younger State in how we could execute a democratic process!”