Dear Editor,
The appointment of Vishnu Persaud as the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is most welcome, encouraging, and a step pointing towards some level of incisive decision-making at the level of the Commission. However, much more is required to realign GECOM to an institution of national embrace through its review, where necessary, and implementation of fair and transparent policies worthy of our citizens’ trust.
Given the recent elections milieu which almost brought our country to its knees, Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh would have to give that superb leadership to the Commission. This is necessary, since the structure of the Commission itself lends to the need for strong, assertive positions from the Chairperson, since there is much evidence of some Commissioners playing dubious bipartisan roles, contrary to their constitutional mandate.
The position APNU/AFC Commissioners took in support of the GECOM Secretariat’s preparation for the March 2020 elections, together with their public assault on the Commission’s decisions related to procedures and the final results are quite despicable. Vincent Alexander’s recent public attack on the Chairwoman, given her rationalisation of the best candidate for the CEO position, is slanderous and leaves much to be desired.
Consequently, the role of the Commissioners and the GECOM Secretariat would have to be demarcated. The approach by the Commission regarding delegation of responsibilities MUST have emphatic and robust monitoring counter-checks, where they are to be applied.
This should be done together with strengthened policies; Commission-approved Standard Operating Procedures and directives outlining the scope of performance defined for compliance by officials of the Secretariat, contributed to by a number of the senior administrative staff of its secretariat.
We can no longer accept the CEO usurping the authority and responsibility of the Commission without approval, and then turning around and challenging the Commission, to whom he reports in the courts of law. Of course, the results of such undercurrents are clear, and these are evidenced by the almost unchecked fraudulent contribution by a number of the senior administrative staff members of the Secretariat, who were charged and placed before the courts.
The immediate task of the Commission is to win the confidence and trust of the nation through several internal reviews, particularly related to staff selections and financial policies. The filling of all vacancies for the advertised posts must be carefully done, as all people employed must be untainted in regard to corrupt activities. Hence the stained persons who were working at GECOM who reapplied for work must be carefully screened and approved on established criteria, particularly for senior vacancies.
Notwithstanding, the filling of junior staff vacancies must also be thorough and done with some level of balance. GECOM would also have to immediately address the issue of the replacement of National Identification Cards. Given the delays caused by the last elections debacle, GECOM is far behind time in respect to the holding of Local Government Elections (LGEs). Therefore, it is imperative that GECOM advance immediately the task of updating the Register of Registrants. To this end, a period of continuous Registration would serve to make provision for all those youths fourteen years and over to be registered. It follows that the subsequent period of Claims and Objections would also have to be done by competent persons.
There is no doubt that future audits of GECOM would be very revealing, given the issues raised by the Auditor-General several years ago, and the lack of cooperation by the previous CEO. Vishnu Persaud as the new CEO would have his hands full, but with the Commission’s concurrence, would have to immediately take an inventory of all that is in the stores, and conduct a needs assessment of all the materials, supplies, and equipment to run the Commission effectively.
The Chief Elections Officer must also be thorough in his takeover process, to establish a basis from which counterchecks could be made. This would serve well for the building of trust and confidence. This new-look GECOM Secretariat would have to work with a plan, and therefore be diligent in carefully putting together a work programme for the year 2022.
Regarding the immediate task of holding LGEs, GECOM would have to conduct public education to bring public awareness for the registration commencement period and the related procedures for Identification Card upliftment. The production and distribution of ID Cards must be done in a very thorough way, while GECOM must also revisit the shifting of the many boundaries that were done arbitrarily by the previous CEO.
GECOM Secretariat under the leadership of Vishnu Persaud and his team would need the support of all our people. To win our trust, there must not be any secret deals; all activities must be transparent and accountable. In context, professionalism is required, and would be demanded.
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar
