Dear Editor,
There is a buzz across the length and breadth of Guyana from residents of communities in designated Local Authority Areas (LAAs). There is an emerged display of upbeat but yet impatient enthusiasm to advance their representatives of choices to the Municipal and Neighborhood Councils.
Words from the streets seem to indicate an unwavering determination to not only take a stance against the many public Government excesses, but also to cushion the increasing negative impacts of the imposed ‘tax-based pressure pot’ system.
The uneasy quiet created has drawn questionable reactions from the Government, to the extent that even the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has become observably unbalanced.
The focal issue of ‘gerrymandering’ of constituency boundaries in LAAs is factual, and indeed worrying. This is given the actual silence of GECOM on the effect of the shifting of boundaries on the actual preparation of interested groups and persons who intend to contest the election for those specific areas. Although the boundary issues for some areas are not yet finalised, it is known that GECOM has published August 29, 2018 as the date of submission for symbols and September 21, 2018 as nomination date. This definitively puts persons at a disadvantage.
Following justified criticisms from various publics, including the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), the situation could not have been better highlighted, but for the PNC/R Commissioner Vincent Alexander’s futile and unwitting attempt to defend both the Minister of Communities as well as GECOM on the issue. According to his recent article, captioned GECOM’s hands tied in drawing of new constituencies for LGE, Alexander, while being silent on the impact on preparation of contesting persons, posits that “GECOM has to proceed with the exercise of redrawing boundaries to facilitate an increase in the Local Authority Areas (LAA) ahead of Local Government Elections (LGE) set for November 12th.”
In context, it is necessary for Mr Alexander to clarify certain woolen bandages he seeks to pull over the eyes of citizens, based on his statement that boundaries are being drawn up on natural boundaries, population as well as interest groups.
What is meant by natural boundaries? Is it not clear that the natural boundaries that we had in all previous LGE are now being manipulated so as to change the demographics in fourteen NDCs? When he spoke about population demographics as the basis for the changes, he should also let the nation know that shifting targeted reducing the influence of strong PPP councillors in certain constituencies.
I contend that in lieu of the need to have a transparent process implemented, an accepted approach of engagement by GECOM should have been pursued prior to recommendations being advanced to the minister. This is obvious, since persons like Mr Alexander and the Hon Minister of Communities are from one political party, and more likely would have had prior knowledge of the proposed changes, which by extension allow greater preparation time to secretly establish on the ground.
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar
