Time for GECOM’s Chair to step up, deliver on her ‘pledge’ to ensure credible elections

Dear Editor,
We are getting closer to the long-overdue General and Regional Elections on March 2 and the electorate is still understandably worried about GECOM’s seeming inability at act in a fair and impartial manner since the successful passing of the No-Confidence Motion. We are aware that GECOM is constitutionally obliged to act with impartiality and fairness in the execution of its duties (Article 162 (1) [b]). The Constitution further states in Article 226 that GECOM shall not be subject to the direction and control of any other person or authority. Is that happening?
It is no assumption to say that despite these legal assurances given and guaranteed by the Constitution, GECOM has so far done nothing to build the public confidence in its ability to function as an independent body. We have seen that despite the fact that the List of Electors can be refreshed using the Claims and Objections period, GECOM embarked on the House-to-House Registration signed by a Chairman who was illegally appointed by President Granger. Was that act to do HtH Registration legal? Granger had justified the HtH Registration by claiming that the list is bloated by 200,000 names and he wants credible elections and does not want to disenfranchise anyone. The list now has far more persons than before and now it is bloated since it is filled with duplications and persons who have died. Why did GECOM go ahead despite the fact that there has been Continuous Registration and the list could have been sanitised using the Claims and Objections? On July 24 last year it was reported that Lowenfield admitted that the Official List of Voters which expired on April 30, 2019, could still be used to execute free and fair General and Regional Elections. But GECOM was carrying out the directives of the APNU/AFC.
Justice (retd) Claudette Singh had vowed at her swearing-in ceremony that, “there is only one way, in accordance with the law and in accordance with the Constitution, and nothing else” and everyone had thought then that here comes the ‘Iron Lady’ whose entry at GECOM will end the drama of deceit. She had claimed that she took up the appointment “for the sake of my country”, this means that she is a patriot who will not display any partisanship in dispensing her duties. However, it would seem that Justice Singh’s appointment made no difference to what had transpired previously under Patterson. It is the Elections Secretariat under CEO Keith Lowenfield who instead of just implementing policies has taken charge of the entire GECOM operations. We were of the opinion that with all the imbroglio, lies, deceit and illegality encompassing the appointment of the GECOM’s Chairman had meant that this person will be the person in charge of GECOM, but instead, it would seem that the Chief Elections Officer is the person in charge and the Chairperson just abide by his decisions.
There are other instances other than the HtH Registration, such as Lowenfield’s effort to work overtime to do as many HtH Registration as possible after the Chief Justice had aborted it; the ID cards saga and trying to disenfranchise voters; the fiddling with the Claims and Objections period; the effort to merge the lists; the numerous ‘errors’ and duplications on the final Official List; the illegal transfer of voters to other polling places; and now the reduction in the use of private residences as polling places in a deliberate effort to create confusion and disenfranchise numerous voters, mostly in rural perceived PPP/C support base.
This last effort by the Chief Elections Officer has been condemned by the Private Sector Commission and they have now concluded as well that the CEO appears to have acted unilaterally and on his own by changing the polling places without informing the political parties. Moreover, it would seem that only the leader of the PPP/C is fighting this battle against the illegality being perpetrated by GECOM. Where are the other parties who want to run this country? We have seen numerous illegal acts committed by the APNU/AFC which have fallen on deaf ears in GECOM, such as misuse of State resources for elections campaign purposes and others and yet the deafening silence of the smaller parties.
It is time that the GECOM Chairperson steps up and delivers on her ‘pledge’ to ensure credible elections. At this current state, we can only guess what will happen on March 2 and after the results have been declared. I do hope the international observers can act now than later!

Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf