Opposition Leader calls out President for peddling falsehoods

House-to-House ploy
…as Granger, Cabinet mum on resignation
Contrary to President David Granger’s declaration that the current voters’ list will not include youths and young adults from the age of 18 years since 2015, there have been at least three cycles of continuous registration and those were done to update the National Register of Registrants and once those persons attain the age of 18, their names are transferred to the Official List of Electors, commonly called the voters’ list.

This is according to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who, at his weekly press conference on Thursday, called out President David Granger for deliberately peddling falsehoods about the voters’ list.
Given the three cycles of continuous registration since 2015, Jagdeo stated that the current voters’ list was not flawed and could be used to facilitate elections in Guyana within the constitutionally stipulated time frame.
“So this falsehood, this falsehood that he perpetuates – that people are not on since the last elections in 2015 – the people who are not on the list is a total lie. It is beneath the President to so flagrantly lie to the people of our country. It is a flagrant lie,” the Opposition Leader said.
He explained that in light of the recent ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed in December 2018, elections could be held within three months from the date that this momentous decision was made, which was June 18, 2019.
Jagdeo reminded that the list in question was the list that the Government Commissioners at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and GECOM’s Chairman deemed as valid up to April 30 last.

He added that there have been several cycles of continuous registration giving Guyanese an opportunity to register since the last House-to-House registration.
“So, in July last year, the last cycle of continuous registration came to an end and anyone who was 14 at October 31 of 2018 could have registered. So, everyone knows once you get on that Register of Registrants, once you attain the age of 18, your name then gets transferred to the Official List of Electors … the voters’ list.”
The Opposition Leader maintained that House-to-House Registration was not necessary to facilitate elections during the constitutionally-mandated timeframe of three months and that GECOM could be ready to host elections by this date.
“The current list, appropriately updated consistent with the Representation of the People’s Act, can be used to facilitate those elections within three months. And that contrary to what they have been peddling, this doomsday scenario that people are going to be disenfranchised, young people will not be able to vote – that is a falsehood. That is a total falsehood.”
Jagdeo emphasised that the Public Relations Officer of GECOM, earlier this year, had stated that the Commission could be ready for elections within a three-month period and even the Chief Elections Officer appointed at GECOM confirmed that the current voters’ list is “clean”.
“And had we held the elections in March consistent with the no-confidence motion that was the same list that would have been valid. Now suddenly this list is outdated and corrupted. It may hold as many as 200,000 incorrect entries so this is the first time we are hearing it may hold as much as this, another wild speculation and misleading statement on the part of the President,” Jagdeo added.
It was only on Tuesday that the CCJ ruled that Government was defeated by the Opposition’s no-confidence motion last December.

Art 106 resignation
Since the ruling on Monday, the President and his Cabinet have been mum on the issue of Article 106 of the Constitution of Guyana, which stated that they should resign. Article 106 (6) brings to a halt their functions, including aiding and advising the President in the general direction and control of the Government, proposing legislation, reviewing contracts over $15 million and making appointments.
Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution states, respectively: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” And “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”
In fact, Cabinet was hosted on Tuesday in clear defiance of the CCJ ruling.