Process should be more transparent – TIGI

The length of time it took for the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) to finish counting ballots and declare an official winner has certainly not gone unnoticed.
One group which has observed the process with some worry is the Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), a vocal transparency advocate.
Union members have complained bitterly about the confusion surrounding the process and the non-disclosure of information, such as the voters list.

According to head of TIGI, Dr Troy Thomas, the events do not inspire confidence. “The fact that it’s taking this long does not inspire confidence,” he said. “And I would urge them to do what needs to be done in a transparent manner, to get the official (declaration) out. I think it is unfortunate that the results took so long.”
On May 2, GPSU released what it referred to as the results of the General Elections for office bearers. It showed incumbent President Patrick Yarde as having received 1,024 votes, while Gregory Gaspar, Yarde’s election opponent, received a total of 1,318, having been named twice on the list.
The document was signed by Elections Officer Herman DeSouza, but there has been no indication or declaration in the election results released that Yarde, or anyone, was the official winner. At a press conference held that very night, Gaspar and his supporters called on union members to reject Yarde’s re-election.
Considering the contention which has surrounded the elections and the integrity of the ballot boxes, Dr Thomas is of the opinion that the elections could have benefited from the presence of observer teams. This, he noted, was a safeguard against claims of elections being rigged.
“I think it’s a good practice to have (observer teams), so that different organisations can pronounce on whether the elections were free and fair, kind of similar to what you see happening with countries,” Dr Thomas said.
During the elections, Gaspar, in a strongly worded letter addressed to Elections Officer Herman De Souza, had complained that the voters list had been requested on April 23, 26, 27, 28 and 29, but was never provided. In the letter, he also complained about ballot boxes being delivered without the elections or assistant elections officers being present to receive them.
The letter also raised the issue of the absence of statements of poll for outlying regions such as Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) being made available to members.
Gaspar has also expressed concern about the condition in which some of the boxes arrived. In his letter, Gaspar also alleged that a Region Three ballot box had been tampered with. He said the allegations that votes from non-eligible voters were placed in the box should be reviewed before finalising the elections.
Gaspar also stated that, in one case, four ballot boxes from Linden, Region 10, had arrived with three seals broken. He related that he approached the elections officer earlier, but was told that they were given three seals for each box.
These concerns are yet to be addressed to the satisfaction of the GPSU membership, some of whom have approached the court over the union’s accounts. Protests against Yarde have also been held earlier in the year.