To brand PSC as a PPP organisation is dangerous

Dear Editor,
Guyana today is in a very, very troubled place. The Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, together with other rural Chambers like the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association, the Linden Chamber of Industry, Commerce and Development, Bartica Chamber of Commerce and the Region Five Chamber of Industry and Commerce are all sectoral members of the Private Sector Commission. Together, these Chambers are made up of hundreds of members and it is extremely disingenuous to conclude that they are all PPP supporters. So to brand the Private Sector Commission a PPP organisation and attack its Chairman, who was unanimously elected, is quite dangerous, as it seeks to erode the credibility of the premier private sector institution in Guyana, whose collective membership is the largest employer in the country and which is in the forefront of fighting to guard the democratic values of our country and ensuring the Government is in compliance and adherence to the Constitution.
The Private Sector Commission recently sent two letters to Mr Keith Lowenfield, Chief Elections Officer, in the main, showing how the present voters’ list can be refreshed and used in the upcoming polls. A lot of questions asked of the CEO were mainly ignored. However, thereafter, a vicious, racist and extremely nasty attack was launched on the PSC and its Chairman, Mr Gerald Goveia, by Elections Commissioner, Desmond Trotman. The hate that spewed from his pen showed the dangerous levels this country is descending into and the Government of the day has to take full responsibility.
The fact that Mr Lowenfield recently confessed that the present list can be refreshed through Claims and Objections, is proof enough that the PSC letters to him may have had their intended effect and which has exposed the partisanship of Mr Trotman. His attack on Chairman Goveia is strongly condemned by our Chamber.
The Central Coretyne Chamber of Commerce is calling on the President to appoint most urgently, a Chairman of the Elections Commission and hence, start the process of preparations for the elections. We also feel the haste to start House-to-House Registration without a Chairman in place was unwise and ill-advised.
By issuing this statement, our Chamber may also come under attack, but it’s a small price to pay for us to ensure democracy and adherence to the Constitution of the country.

Sincerely,
Central Corentyne
Chamber of
Commerce