By Tracey Khan – Drakes
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally has underscored that youths must be involved in the political and electoral processes of Guyana.
The GECOM Chairman expressed his support of youth involvement in elections locally as he drew comparison to other parts of the world where youths are forced to vote.
“All over the world the youth tend to divorce themselves from the political process, in countries where voting is compulsory even in those countries where there are heavy rules and fines the youths still abstain. In one particular country the youths have challenged that law that says they must vote, they said that the over ridding law is the constitution and the constitution gives them the right to choose and they are choosing not to vote and there is a court case going on now as I speak.”
He cleared the air on the perception that GECOM has endorsed external groups as he explained that the Commission’s involvement is limited to information sharing.
“Were saying that we will do everything to get the youths involved in the electoral processes, we do not approach the youths or individual groups, they approach us and we are very clear that our involvement is limited to the provision of information for dissemination,” Dr Surujbally said.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) rejected a recent move by GECOM to work with the recently formed Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) in an effort to encourage more of Guyana’s youth to exercise their democratic right come May 11.
General Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee had said that the PPP/C rejects the move on the grounds that the GNYC is a “creature of international interference” and has no legitimate right to claim its name as Guyana’s Youth Council.
