…Nagamootoo backpedals: GECOM gets extra hour for vote recount, no quarantine for Caricom team
After much pressure and criticism from members of the public, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been given a one-hour reprieve of additional time beyond the national curfew in order to engage in the recount of votes cast in the March 2, General and Regional Elections.
GECOM team and health officials examining a room in the Arthur Chung Conference Centre
This in addition to the confirmation of the return of a high-level Caribbean Community (Caricom) delegation to observe the process were among the updates provided on Monday, when Commissioners and GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh again toured the Arthur Chung Conference Centre along with health officials from the National coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Task Force.
The disclosures represent a backpedalling of the Government diktats and a subsequent statement by the Government’s Department of Public Information (DPI) confirmed that the additional time and changes to the quarantine demands previously made by caretaker Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo were done at the request of the President following public outcry.
According to the DPI missive, Nagamootoo – at a COVID-19 Task Force meeting – presented “the guidance and advice of President David Granger on the issue of screening guidelines for Caricom officials who have been invited to take part in the recount of ballots cast in the March 2 General and Regional Elections.”
DPI said Nagamootoo advised the meeting that Granger said he received proposals from the Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, for medical examinations of members of the delegation to be done in the members’ country of origin before their arrival in Guyana.
Health concerns
Speaking with media operatives on Monday following the special site tour at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Retired Justice Singh told media operatives, the visit was organised with the health officials of the Task Force since, “we need to ensure and guarantee the safety of the Caricom team, as soon as that is finished we have to communicate what we have done to ensure the safety [of the delegation] to the Secretary General.”
The GECOM Chairperson was adamant that “the people are virtually afraid of contracting the virus so that is why we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure their safety.”
She was unable, however, to give a definitive date of arrival for the Caricom team, except to say that they will be fielding a physical presence in the country for the recount exercise as long as the logistics are finalised.
Speaking to the outstanding issues that are still to be dealt with by the Commission, Retired Justice Singh hinted at security and other such arrangements.
As it relates to the COVID-19 Task Force officials on the site tour, Retired Justice Singh told members of the media “they are here to tell us how safe it is to have a certain number of people in any one room at this point in time.”
Defending the decision to restrict the recount process to no more than 10 counting stations the GECOM Chairman said: “I had to take into consideration the safety of those people.”
According to the GECOM Chairman, “I could not guarantee their safety in 20 stations [inside the building]” – as had been proposed by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Commissioners.
She disclosed to media operatives too that following consultations with the Chairman of the COVID-19 Task Force, there has been an agreement for an additional hour to be allowed to the staff of GECOM for the recount.
Explaining the change in modality, Retired Justice Singh said, “I had consulted with the Task Force on working beyond the curfew period.”
She explained that with the national curfew commencing at 18:00h, it would mean that GECOM staff would have to leave the centre by 17:00h and that this will likely be changed to include the additional working time.
This could see the recount utilising 10-hour days, working from 08:00h to 18:00h with different times for breaks for each of the counting teams, taking into consideration COVID-19 measures such as social distancing.
No date for recount
Asked to speculate on a timeline for the start of the recount, the GECOM Chairman said: “not long from now…perhaps hours, maybe days.”
Speaking directly to the citizenry still awaiting an official result seven weeks after casting their ballot, Retired Justice Singh said, “I am doing everything possible” and added that “I am the person who spoke about the recount, I am the person who made that commitment and I am going to see it through.”
Media operatives were also told that the decision to have members of the Caricom delegation be quarantined has since been rescinded and that participating members travelling to Guyana will instead be required to be tested at their home countries before departing for Guyana.
Government-nominated Commissioner, Vincent Alexander in a separate briefing indicated to media operatives that the Commission would not have to await the written recommendations from the officials from the COVID-19 Task Force.
He reminded that based on Retired Justice Singh’s diktat that there be no more than 10 counting stations, “what the Public Health people have been able to say is which spaces we can use and numbers because we anticipate in some instances as many as 14 persons in a particular space.”
Alexander disclosed too that the COVID-19 Task Force members also addressed issues of security and sanitisation and special arrangements for ablution and dining.
Asked about any changes to the counting stations, he was adamant that the Chairman was given the authority to make the decision and that GECOM along with the venue should provide enough of the technological resources required.
“GECOM will make every effort in understand to resource 10, fortunately, here, because this is a convention centre, there are resources,” he said.
He was unable to give a definitive timeframe for the recount but suggested that the starting time would now be also tied to the arrival of the Caricom delegation in Guyana.
