New Local Authority Areas are very worrying

Dear Editor,
The Guyana Elections Commission has commenced yet another Cycle of Continuous Registration. This process started on Monday, 21st May, and is expected to conclude on 19th July, 2018.
The advertisement is indeed most interesting, as it speaks about Claims and Objections and Registration Phase 2 exercises. During the present period, it is of significance to note that all forms of objection and application for correction of particulars and transactions shall be sent by the Registration Officer to the Commissioner of Registration. Applications may be made by persons whose names appear in the Preliminary List for changes and corrections of particulars as shown in the List, and effect transfers from one Registration District/ Division/Sub-Division/Local Authority/Area /Constituency to another.
This is very important, and it is imperative that the Guyana Elections Commission provide citizens with the most appropriate Preliminary Voters List. A thorough check should be made with the list that is posted by GECOM in a division/sub-division.

The appropriate list is the Constituency List, whereon the citizens, and particularly the village leaders, can look and have a clear understanding of the List, which will have the voters in the correct constituency.
This is the Eleventh Cycle of Continuous Registration, and it is sad to note that GECOM is not providing the NDCs with the respective Constituency List. Local Government Elections are all about the first- past-the-post constituency and proportional representation elections in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and Municipalities. Hence the citizens must be fully aware of the people who are on the List within the specific boundaries.
The suggestion that there will be several new Local Authority Areas is very worrying. Further, there are also reports that there will be adjustments to constituency boundaries. These changes cannot be catapulted on GECOM and the Guyanese voters.
Mobile registration would also be done during this cycle; however, the commencement of mobile registration would depend on the Tender Board approval of the costs for land, water and air transportation, among other administrative expenses. The Tender Board procedures should have been completed before the Cycle of Registration commences, to ensure that the mobile registration exercises commence in time, with two rounds in the hinterland regions other than the one round that was done in the previous Cycle of Continuous Registration. If the Tender Board does not approve the quotations to provide services in a week’s time, then certainly GECOM would have the excuse to do only one round of Mobile registration in the hinterland, considering that this Cycle of Registration has already been delayed by two weeks merely because of the Order not been gazetted and published.
GECOM has to do better to provide the services to the citizens of this country, to ensure that they are registered among the other transactions that they are doing. The Registration Officers at GECOM Centre have to be more encouraging and tolerant to persons who are seeking to have transactions done.
The dress code should also be relaxed to accommodate persons other than to inconvenience them to change clothing before they could enter a Registration Centre. The onus of GECOM is to have everyone registered, thus they should be flexible to accommodate persons who might not return if they are sent away for change of clothing.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar