Sanitise the Guyana Elections Commission

Dear Editor,
What is the reaction of the masses when the PNC speak about democracy, the rule of law, and upholding the Constitution? They see it as hypocrisy to the core!
It seems that the holding of Local Government Elections on a timely basis is all that is required to bear testimony that the PNC respect the Constitution. Harmon seems to forget that during their 5-year term in office they continuously disregarded and violated our Constitution, spurned the rule of law, and attempted on more than one occasion to kill democracy.

The PNC should never ever utter the word ‘democracy’. The PNC’s pretensive cries about holding the LGE before ‘sanitising’ GECOM and getting rid of the PNC riggers must not be allowed to gain traction. We must be cognisant of the fact that the democratic process in our country is triggered by GECOM holding free and fair elections. We have seen, for five long months, the many tireless attempts by the PNC-controlled faction of GECOM to rig the 2020 Elections in favour of the PNC-dominated Coalition. The justice system was compromised in some instances, but Democracy owes a debt of gratitude to Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire, who upheld the Rule of Law despite many attempts by the Coalition to influence her decision through street protests.

From those 5 months, it is clear that democracy would die unless the PPP/C can now ensure that all the corrupt players within GECO are surgically removed. The Mingoes, the Lowenfields and the Myerses must be expunged. It is time that GECOM, especially in key positions, be staffed with persons who are of high integrity and are politically neutral.

Recently, after making a few subtle threats about not holding the LGE as it is constitutionally due, such as, ‘the PPP is insulting the Guyanese Nation’; ‘there will be pressure,’ and ‘we will internationalise the issue’, Harmon then summed up by stating that ‘Protest is one form of action, there are other forms which we are considering, but the PPP must understand that we will not sit by and see them trample on the rights of Guyanese people, we will not sit by and see them violate our Constitution with impunity’.

Again, the threat of protest action and violent protests are the only tactic which the PNC are adept at; they have nothing else to contribute to nation building. The former President, Granger, backed his buddy by saying that President Ali does not have the right to ‘toy’ with the Constitution. Well, of course only Granger has that ‘right’ and prerogative. President Ali was clear that: ‘I am not getting into Local Government Elections now. As a people and the media…what we have to do is to fix what is there first, and we have to ensure that we have a system that is working, and a system that people trust, and a system that is professional, and a system that operates in an unbiased manner, so that the people of our country can contribute’.

Vice President Jagdeo added a further clarification when he said that funds would be set aside for the holding of those elections, but he maintained that “criminal elements” attached to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) must be removed.
What is so wrong with that, when Guyanese here and in the diaspora and the world at large witnessed the most shameless and blatant attempt by the GECOM CEO and the Deputy CEO, the Returning Officer of Region 4 and other GECOM officials to rig the 2020 Elections? They will have to be replaced before any election is held.

Granger, Harmon and the PNC must know that the PPP/C is never afraid to hold any election, be it General or Local Government. The astounding defeats in 2016 and 2018 of the Coalition by the PPP/C and the recent defeat at the 2020 General Elections may have caused some irreparable memory loss.
The holding of LGE is no doubt high on the Government’s agenda, but GECOM must be sanitised, since we have seen the destructive nature of its current form for 5 long and painful months. The dreaded COVID-19 came second place since the entire nation was ‘infected’. Clearly, we cannot afford to take such high risks in the future.

Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf