Lowenfield and GECOM spent over G$15bln without audit

BY: NEIL KUMAR

Any fair-minded examination of the tortuous path the PPPC endured towards the revelation of the true results of the Guyana March 02, 2020, General and Regional Elections would confirm, among other things, the strong self-determination of its leaders and the massive support of the Guyanese people.
It would also certainly highlight the humongous magnitude and significant achievements against the odds of extreme handicap created by what effectively was the imposition of Keith Lowenfield as a fifth hidden PNC Commissioner at the head of the GECOM Secretariat.

Indeed, the accomplishment cannot be simplified to just a measure of over 15,000 more valid votes than APNU/AFC as its closest rival, but one that must be recognised for the party’s demonstrated will to fight for all Guyana in a field booby-trapped by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and his cohorts, using our taxpayers’ money.
Lowenfield’s signals were very clear from early in the setting, but he had several layers of covering that he cunningly utilised to camouflage his always suspicious but now exposed wicked intent. The clear irrationality of Lowenfield’s previous actions and hypocritical incremental manipulations of GECOM’s policies and procedures must be seen in the light of their full worth concerning the partisan advancement of the PNC’s interests.

Mr. Granger’s illegal imposition of James Patterson as GECOM Chairman offered him shade, and the likes of Vincent Alexander at the level of the Commission went overboard to protect his cover when Patterson was disposed of because of the CCJ’s ruling. It is recalled that when Lowenfield’s contract came up for renewal last December, Vincent Alexander argued against the PPPC commissioners’ recommendations, stating that it would not have been fair to let the CEO go into these elections with uncertainty about his fate in that post.

Along the way, while taking cover under the political climate and the PNC/APNU/AFC shade, he played his hands, sometimes surreptitiously and on other occasions glaringly. His role in using GECOM funds to defend challenged illegalities: such as the High Court hearing of the No-Confidence Motion in which GECOM should have been neutral; the CCJ matter against Patterson; as well as the commencement of the partisan house-to-house registration, was openly condemned.

There is now little doubt, if any, that he is one of the key conspirators in the Region 4 Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo’s flagrant breaching of the rules and shameless attempt to suppress the will of the Guyanese electorate at March 02, 2020 General and Regional Elections. Keith Lowenfield, while possessing the original Statements of Poll, knowingly and deliberately used the false calculation by Clairmont Mingo on two occasions. Further, he went on to use the falsified calculations on June 13th, and again on June 23rd, to mislead the Guyana Elections Commission in his attempts to influence GECOM to declare the Granger cabal as the winner of the 2nd March 2020, General and Regional Elections.

The Guyanese public and the world at large have lost confidence in Keith Lowenfield as the CEO of the GECOM Secretariat. There is an abundance of guilt displayed with him putting forward artificial figures to the GECOM Commission, and the obvious deliberate insubordinate demonstration when he did not submit his report to the Chairman and the Commission on time.

Absolutely, he has no authority to deny the vote of any person, much less attempt to disenfranchise more than 115,000. The recent rantings that he has no obligations to take any instructions from the GECOM Commission are contemptuous, and emphasise his usurping of the role of the Commission, as well as his outright disrespect for Chairwoman Justice (Retired) Claudette Singh.

More serious is the fact that Keith Lowenfield was responsible for overseeing the spending of over fifteen billion dollars over the past three elections, without allowing the Auditor General’s Office the liberty to audit the GECOM Office.
Lowenfield and the others at GECOM Secretariat are guilty of a serious financial and electoral crime. It is quite alarming that Keith Lowenfield recently used the GECOM platform to make a deceitful press release, claiming, “I have to execute my duties as a Constitutional Officer, particularly in the conduct of Elections.”

Lowenfield’s deceit and fraudulent concoction cannot be disguised any longer. It is a fact that he is not a constitutional office holder as he claimed. This is because the Office of the CEO is not created by the Constitution of Guyana; rather, it is created by the Representation of the People Act, and the CEO is hired by the Commission. He is a “statutory contractual officer of the Commission, and his mandate is to act only upon the directions of the Commission”.
Given his continued brutal delinquency, I recommend that the Commission take swift steps to remove this proverbial can of worms from their employ.

As the nation suffers from the dreaded CORONA-19 virus, the more serious dictatorship disease of the GECOM/APNU/AFC rigging virus has been unleashed. However, evil will not overcome good, and our Guyanese brothers and sisters must be commended for their patience. After more than eighteen months since the passing of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM), and particularly more than three months after free and fair elections were held, they are awaiting peacefully for the final declaration and the swearing of Dr. Irfaan Ali as the ninth Executive President of Guyana.

As Guyanese, we highly appreciate the unflinching support of the many imminent leaders and powerful international and local organizations that are supporting the cause and demanding that the result of the Recount be accepted, and GECOM must declare the winner of the Elections.

Notably, we vehemently condemn the vicious and outrageous attack on prominent personalities and sister states caused by the uncaring APNU/AFC cabal. They simply do not care about the negatively created international image. Our people will travel all over the world, and the world must not shun them when they turn up at various airports. We can still remedy some of the negative feelings and sharp unwanted criticisms caused by the insults by a few APNU misguided supporters to leaders and prominent people around the world.

Guyanese are anxiously awaiting the swearing in of the next Executive President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali.