WPA threatens to split from APNU if vote rigging occurs

GECOM saga

– notes constitutional reform critical to improved bilateral process

By Jarryl Bryan

Even as the dust has not yet settled from President David Granger’s unilateral appointment of a Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) is threatening to split from the coalition party if vote rigging indeed occurs.
A rigged 2020 election is a concern that has been expressed by the political Opposition ever since retired Justice James Patterson was sworn in as Chairman

in a surreptitious late night ceremony on October 19.
But the WPA, one of the parties amalgamated in the APNU+AFC (A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change), is adamant it will not be part of vote rigging. This was made clear in its first statement as a party on the GECOM appointment.
“WPA publicly commits to the position that if elections are not proceeding as free and fair, we would publicly withdraw from the Coalition,” the party said; but added that even then it would not throw its support behind the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
“It is, however, politically important for the country that democratic forces do not allow the appointment of Justice Patterson to be read as a de facto depiction of the coalition’s collective intent to rig elections. This, from the WPA’s standpoint, is certainly not the case,” the WPA also stated.

On the constitutionality of the appointment, WPA claimed that while the appointment followed the letter of the law, it did not follow the spirit. It also noted that until adequate constitutional reform is advanced, a flawed system for choosing a GECOM Chair would continue to be used.
“There was never going to be a good outcome to the appointment of the GECOM Chair without prior Constitutional Reform. This could be proven true for all appointments that require President/Leader of Opposition agreement,” it stated.
The party also downplayed not being consulted by the President. According to the WPA, it could not participate in the process, since the Constitution of Guyana allows only for the President and Leader of the Opposition to select a candidate.
During a press conference last week, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, had described the appointment of Justice Patterson as the first shot in a pathway to a rigged 2020 general and regional election.
As such, he announced that the PPP had moved to set up an internal group meant to combat any attempts at rigging by the Administration. Some of the measures the party will be embarking on include the early training of its polling agents.
“This is not about who wins the elections,” the Opposition Leader had told media operatives as he disclosed that among the outreaches, the party will be reaching out to the ABC countries.
The Opposition Leader told media operatives that what had transpired over the appointment of the GECOM Chairman has led the party to now have a distrust for the Voters List.
According to Jagdeo, the PPP currently harbours concerns about the database at GECOM.
The Opposition Leader, in pointing to his party’s belief that Government is setting the stage for a rigged 2020 election, pointing to fears over the potential tampering of birth certificates at the Ministry of Citizenship.
The political Opposition has not been the only ones against the appointment. In fact, since Granger reached outside the 18 nominees Jagdeo provided in an unprecedented move to handpick Patterson, a number of individuals and organisations spanning a wide cross-section of society have also soundly criticised and condemned the President’s unilateral decision.
Criticism has come from the Guyana Bar Association, the Berbice Bar Association, the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Criticism has also come from the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and members of the diaspora. In addition, the political Opposition has filed a legal challenge in the courts last week Monday, seeking to revoke Patterson’s appointment.
Following the appointment, there were also two high profile resignations. Major General (ret’d) Joe Singh, a Presidential Advisor, and Christopher Ram, who sat on a committee pursuing the establishment of a law school locally, both resigned from their posts. Both were nominated on the lists the President rejected.