UK Guyanese diaspora object to unilateral GECOM appointment

Dear Editor,
I spent some two weeks this month in the United Kingdom, travelling around and interacting with Guyanese and other Caribbean and South Asian diaspora communities, and discussing varied issues relating to immigrants and minorities. Naturally, politics in Guyana was the focus of discussion among all Guyanese and most Caribbean nationals. Several of them raised issues, including the controversial appointment of retired Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
The recent unilateral appointment of Patterson as GECOM Chair was the centre of conversation of every Guyanese I met. Some Caribbean nationals are also well versed on the issue, perhaps learning about it from Guyanese. The Guyanese diaspora in the UK are polarised on the issue, based on party affiliation and race.
I was astounded at the level of interest in Guyana’s politics by the diaspora in UK, given most British Guyanese left their homeland several decades ago (1950s thru 1970s). While they may not be as familiar or as attuned with Guyana’s day-to-day political or economic affairs as many Guyanese are in North America, they are current and up to date on the controversial GECOM appointment.
Almost every Guyana-born and their adult British-born descendant seem to have some kind of knowledge of the GECOM matter. Every Guyanese I spoke with, irrespective of party affiliation and ethnicity, expressed disappointment with the way the appointment of Patterson as GECOM Chair was handled. They objected to the idea of a unilateral appointment by President Granger. Almost everyone felt there should have been some kind of consensus (by the Government and the Opposition) on an appointee, instead of the President acting unilaterally to choose someone in whom he (and by extension the Government) has confidence to head the elections body.
Based on my interaction with many Guyanese, every supporter (without exception) of the PPP and AFC in the UK objected to James Patterson as GECOM Chair. Supporters of the AFC feel their party’s leadership should not have endorsed the way the appointment was done, nor should they have endorsed the appointee himself. Almost every PPP and AFC supporter felt the President had violated the spirit of the Constitution, if not the Constitution itself.
But PNC supporters are not as vociferous in their objection to President Granger’s unilateral appointment, although they are not pleased with how the issue was handled. PNC supporters, some of whom claimed they visited Guyana last year for the 50th anniversary independence celebrations, are split on the issue. Some back President Granger’s action, and some are not supportive.  Everyone feels the country is badly divided, and that racial healing is urgently needed. People do not feel the Government has been doing much to unite the nation.
Guyanese of all political affiliation expressed admiration for the action taken by Messrs Joe Singh (former GECOM Chair) and respected Accountant Chris Ram — to resign from Government appointments after the President rejected them as “not being fit and proper” to head GECOM. Every UK-based Guyanese said both gentlemen and several others among the 18 submitted by the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo would have made an excellent Chair of GECOM.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram