Elections 2011 ... SEVEN LIKELY TO FACE POLLS .. as parties submit lists of candidates to GECOM
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Written by Johann Earle
Friday, 28 October 2011 05:30
Source - Guyana Chronicle
SEVEN political parties yesterday afternoon formally entered the race for the November 28 polls by presenting lists of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at the historic City Hall in downtown Georgetown.
Supporters of the PPP/C, APNU, the AFC and TUF rallied around their leaders and candidates in the trek to and from the Nomination Day venue while the showing from the other contestants was much smaller.
The parties submitting lists to GECOM yesterday were the PPP/C, APNU, AFC, TUF, East Berbice Development Association (EBDA), Fundamental Structure Group (FSG) and Horizon and Star.
No lists were submitted by the Guyana National Congress (GNC) and the Guyana United Muslim Party (GUMP) although their representatives turned up at City Hall.
Some 32 parties had initially shown interest in contesting the elections and GECOM last week said they expected the number to drop to around 10 or 11.
** PPP/C
Arriving first to present their list was the PPP/C led by presidential candidate Mr. Donald Ramotar, President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Sam Hinds, along with a host of other PPP/C leaders, including campaign manager Robert Persaud, Irfaan Ali, Clement Rohee, Ashni Singh, Frank Anthony, Reepu Daman Persaud, Jennifer Westford, Odinga Lumumba, Leslie Ramsammy, Clinton Collymore, Harry Nokta, Robeson Benn, Shaik Baksh, Gail Teixeira, Manniram Prashad and Priya Manickchand.
The PPP/C on the move
Among the several noticeable new faces yesterday in the PPP/C contingent were Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Bishop Juan Edghill, Peter Ramsaroop, Emmanuel Cummings and Phillip Bynoe.
Ramotar, speaking with reporters at City Hall, said he believed that his party has “a very good list”, one that is reflective of the entire country, comprising persons from a variety of backgrounds and ethnic and religious persuasions. Ramotar also exuded tremendous confidence yesterday about a PPP/C victory at the polls, as he alluded to the kind of support the PPP/C has been receiving throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.
Meanwhile, President Jagdeo has made it clear that his name was not among those on the list of candidates for the PPP/C.
“My name is not on the list because I will not be serving in Parliament. I don’t plan to get back into Parliament and I don’t want to take a space on the list. I can help the Government through other capacities. But the sole purpose of your name on the list is to get into Parliament,” he told reporters.
The President said that there has been no promise to anyone as an inducement to get their support. “No one has been promised Minister or Advisor positions. You are there on the list simply because you want to associate yourself with the PPP, unlike other parties,” President Jagdeo said.
** APNU
The large APNU’s contingent marched from Square of the Revolution to City Hall and, on arrival there, proved a logistical problem for the police manning the barricades at the gate, as unruly supporters on more than one occasion stormed the City Hall compound, sending persons standing in the compound – including media personnel - scampering to get out of the way.
APNU in the mood
Speaking to reporters after presenting his party’s list of candidates, Presidential Candidate of APNU David Granger said people are concerned about security. “This is what people want to [hear] and the Government, which is supposed to be responsible for security, ignores them,” he said.
Granger stated that his political movement knows the problems facing security and education and they have been addressing them. “They want jobs for their children, they want security and they want a good education system,” he said.
Speaking about APNU having the best economic team of the elections, Granger stated that Carl Greenidge is a part of that team and said he was instrumental in crafting the economic aspects of the party’s manifesto, which is yet to be released to the public.
Some of the prominent members of the discarded PNC, now APNU, present yesterday were Robert Corbin, Basil Williams and Oscar Clarke. APNU’s prime ministerial candidate Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, formerly from the now defunct WPA, was also present. Another noticeable face in the contingent was former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix.
*** AFC
The AFC contingent, which had gathered at Parade Ground, arrived at City Hall led by Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan, Prime Ministerial Candidate Raphael Trotman and Vice Presidential candidate, Moses Nagamootoo.
The contingent, though much smaller than both PPP/C and APNU, came in with a wave of supporters to submit their party’s list to the Chief Elections Officer.
Rooting for the AFC
Also making a grand entrance, a few minutes late, presumably for effect, was TUF exile Valeria Garrido-Lowe, who recently announced that she was throwing her support to the AFC after a falling out with the TUF over who was in charge of that party.
Speaking to members of the media, former PPP stalwart Moses Nagamootoo, now on the AFC’s campaign trail, said he has made a stride to leap into the future of Guyana, and he wanted to know if others would be able to do the same. He said too that the move to the AFC was relatively an easy decision to make, compared to leaving the PPP, which he said was a tough decision.
Garrido-Lowe, now campaigning on the AFC gravy train, confirmed that she is on the AFC’s list of candidates. “Mr. Nadir is a PPP first of all. He has no right to try to take TUF from its people. He has no right,” she said. She believes that she has the pull factor to capture many Amerindian votes towards the AFC. “In the hearts of the people [Nadir] hasn’t taken my place,” she said.
** TUF
The United Force (TUF) was the first party to reach City Hall, even before the 14:00 hrs start of the Nomination Day proceedings, but delayed the presentation of its list of candidates until immediately after the PPP/C presented theirs.
TUF Leader Mr. Manzoor Nadir spoke to members of the media after being a part of the PPP/C’s contingent in City Hall. He said there is no issue of factions in TUF because Ms. Valerie Lowe was expelled from TUF on September 1 by a duly constituted executive committee meeting, “and at that time they exercised the powers they had under the [TUF] Constitution.”
Peter Persaud, the Presidential Candidate of TUF, said all of the names on his party’s list were accepted. He said that the feeling heading into the elections was great. “We are confident of our message. Our party is working towards a victory. I am the first Amerindian Presidential Candidate and...With your vote [I could be the first Amerindian President],” he said.
Speaking also on behalf of TUF, June Ann Brassington said there were some issues with the presentation of the nomination documents which have to be rectified. “Everything was not laid out in the way they wanted it. We only had under seven days to prepare the list since we regained control of TUF. We will make the necessary corrections and we will submit as per the usual period granted for making changes,” she said.
Asked how many persons were on TUF’s list, Brassington said that they have the full complement. She said that the party will release its manifesto shortly and it will have a focus on crime, skills training and job creation. She said it is also important to bring in foreign investment so as to create jobs.
** HORIZON & STAR
Dr. Hubert Maloney presented his list to GECOM on behalf of the Horizon and Star, his party. Speaking to the media, Dr. Maloney said he had to turn back his deputy because they were not allowed to pass in their vehicle. “I decide to come out and walk through,” he said.
One man show
Asked what he thought were his chances of winning the elections, he said that it is a big secret. He said that if he were to win a seat in Parliament after the elections he would “take it to the Commonwealth.”
He said that his package included a Regional list and a Top Up list. He said that in terms of campaigns, he will “do posters and try the media.” Asked how much money he has allocated to his campaign, he said, “just my fortnightly salary but I don’t know if I could get a small loan somewhere.”
The man noted that he would seek to utilise the offer by the state-owned NCN television of five minutes to political parties to pitch their message with the hope of influencing voters.
*** FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURE GROUP
Anthony Snow of Fundamental Structure Group spoke to members of the media after submitting his party’s list. He made it clear that he did not see himself being elected President at this time and that is ok, because he wants to function from his seat in Parliament. He said that his organisation has an employment agency and business development programme and “these are things that we are currently doing now.”
Snow said that, as a young man, he needed to speak out to show the young people in the country that anyone can do it, “no matter what your disposition is.”
He said his relatively new movement could be that body in Parliament that keeps government in check and make sure they do what they say they would. “The decisions they make affect people in a massive way and if we don’t stand up for our rights, we will continue to be walked on...our roads should be clean. Our schools should be decent and we should be able to save some money at the end of the month,” he said.
“We don’t care which party gets into power. If they can apply some of the principles that we have, we know that it will eventually lead to the benefit of the public. The important thing is not being scared to stand up for what you believe in. In this country a lot of people have lost that faith in themselves,” Snow said.
Commissioner of GECOM Vincent Alexander said that while seven parties submitted lists of candidates, a number of those submissions had been out of order and had to be rectified and resubmitted. “We will have to process [the submissions] and tomorrow (today) GECOM will announce which party’s nominations have been accepted,” he said.
At exactly 18:00 hrs yesterday, Boodhoo closed the Nomination Day process and briefed the media about the day’s proceedings.
“It is now 18:00 hrs and as published in our notice, this brings Nomination Day 2011 to a close. Thank you very much for your attendance and participation. We wish you well,” said Boodhoo. He said that GECOM will be writing those parties which submitted deficient lists with a view to having them make the necessary corrections. Some of the deficiencies identified were inadequate number of support signatures, and some lists not submitted as required in accordance with the law.
Present at the Nomination Day exercise were Chairman of the Elections Commission Dr. Steve Surujbally, Commissioners of GECOM, members of the Diplomatic corps and other stakeholders.
PDF Print E-mail
Written by Johann Earle
Friday, 28 October 2011 05:30
Source - Guyana Chronicle
SEVEN political parties yesterday afternoon formally entered the race for the November 28 polls by presenting lists of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) at the historic City Hall in downtown Georgetown.Supporters of the PPP/C, APNU, the AFC and TUF rallied around their leaders and candidates in the trek to and from the Nomination Day venue while the showing from the other contestants was much smaller.
The parties submitting lists to GECOM yesterday were the PPP/C, APNU, AFC, TUF, East Berbice Development Association (EBDA), Fundamental Structure Group (FSG) and Horizon and Star.
No lists were submitted by the Guyana National Congress (GNC) and the Guyana United Muslim Party (GUMP) although their representatives turned up at City Hall.
Some 32 parties had initially shown interest in contesting the elections and GECOM last week said they expected the number to drop to around 10 or 11.
** PPP/C
Arriving first to present their list was the PPP/C led by presidential candidate Mr. Donald Ramotar, President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Sam Hinds, along with a host of other PPP/C leaders, including campaign manager Robert Persaud, Irfaan Ali, Clement Rohee, Ashni Singh, Frank Anthony, Reepu Daman Persaud, Jennifer Westford, Odinga Lumumba, Leslie Ramsammy, Clinton Collymore, Harry Nokta, Robeson Benn, Shaik Baksh, Gail Teixeira, Manniram Prashad and Priya Manickchand.
The PPP/C on the moveAmong the several noticeable new faces yesterday in the PPP/C contingent were Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Bishop Juan Edghill, Peter Ramsaroop, Emmanuel Cummings and Phillip Bynoe.
Ramotar, speaking with reporters at City Hall, said he believed that his party has “a very good list”, one that is reflective of the entire country, comprising persons from a variety of backgrounds and ethnic and religious persuasions. Ramotar also exuded tremendous confidence yesterday about a PPP/C victory at the polls, as he alluded to the kind of support the PPP/C has been receiving throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.
Meanwhile, President Jagdeo has made it clear that his name was not among those on the list of candidates for the PPP/C.
“My name is not on the list because I will not be serving in Parliament. I don’t plan to get back into Parliament and I don’t want to take a space on the list. I can help the Government through other capacities. But the sole purpose of your name on the list is to get into Parliament,” he told reporters.
The President said that there has been no promise to anyone as an inducement to get their support. “No one has been promised Minister or Advisor positions. You are there on the list simply because you want to associate yourself with the PPP, unlike other parties,” President Jagdeo said.
** APNU
The large APNU’s contingent marched from Square of the Revolution to City Hall and, on arrival there, proved a logistical problem for the police manning the barricades at the gate, as unruly supporters on more than one occasion stormed the City Hall compound, sending persons standing in the compound – including media personnel - scampering to get out of the way.
APNU in the moodSpeaking to reporters after presenting his party’s list of candidates, Presidential Candidate of APNU David Granger said people are concerned about security. “This is what people want to [hear] and the Government, which is supposed to be responsible for security, ignores them,” he said.
Granger stated that his political movement knows the problems facing security and education and they have been addressing them. “They want jobs for their children, they want security and they want a good education system,” he said.
Speaking about APNU having the best economic team of the elections, Granger stated that Carl Greenidge is a part of that team and said he was instrumental in crafting the economic aspects of the party’s manifesto, which is yet to be released to the public.
Some of the prominent members of the discarded PNC, now APNU, present yesterday were Robert Corbin, Basil Williams and Oscar Clarke. APNU’s prime ministerial candidate Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, formerly from the now defunct WPA, was also present. Another noticeable face in the contingent was former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix.
*** AFC
The AFC contingent, which had gathered at Parade Ground, arrived at City Hall led by Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan, Prime Ministerial Candidate Raphael Trotman and Vice Presidential candidate, Moses Nagamootoo.
The contingent, though much smaller than both PPP/C and APNU, came in with a wave of supporters to submit their party’s list to the Chief Elections Officer.
Rooting for the AFCAlso making a grand entrance, a few minutes late, presumably for effect, was TUF exile Valeria Garrido-Lowe, who recently announced that she was throwing her support to the AFC after a falling out with the TUF over who was in charge of that party.
Speaking to members of the media, former PPP stalwart Moses Nagamootoo, now on the AFC’s campaign trail, said he has made a stride to leap into the future of Guyana, and he wanted to know if others would be able to do the same. He said too that the move to the AFC was relatively an easy decision to make, compared to leaving the PPP, which he said was a tough decision.
Garrido-Lowe, now campaigning on the AFC gravy train, confirmed that she is on the AFC’s list of candidates. “Mr. Nadir is a PPP first of all. He has no right to try to take TUF from its people. He has no right,” she said. She believes that she has the pull factor to capture many Amerindian votes towards the AFC. “In the hearts of the people [Nadir] hasn’t taken my place,” she said.
** TUF
The United Force (TUF) was the first party to reach City Hall, even before the 14:00 hrs start of the Nomination Day proceedings, but delayed the presentation of its list of candidates until immediately after the PPP/C presented theirs.
TUF Leader Mr. Manzoor Nadir spoke to members of the media after being a part of the PPP/C’s contingent in City Hall. He said there is no issue of factions in TUF because Ms. Valerie Lowe was expelled from TUF on September 1 by a duly constituted executive committee meeting, “and at that time they exercised the powers they had under the [TUF] Constitution.”
Peter Persaud, the Presidential Candidate of TUF, said all of the names on his party’s list were accepted. He said that the feeling heading into the elections was great. “We are confident of our message. Our party is working towards a victory. I am the first Amerindian Presidential Candidate and...With your vote [I could be the first Amerindian President],” he said.
Speaking also on behalf of TUF, June Ann Brassington said there were some issues with the presentation of the nomination documents which have to be rectified. “Everything was not laid out in the way they wanted it. We only had under seven days to prepare the list since we regained control of TUF. We will make the necessary corrections and we will submit as per the usual period granted for making changes,” she said.
Asked how many persons were on TUF’s list, Brassington said that they have the full complement. She said that the party will release its manifesto shortly and it will have a focus on crime, skills training and job creation. She said it is also important to bring in foreign investment so as to create jobs.
** HORIZON & STAR
Dr. Hubert Maloney presented his list to GECOM on behalf of the Horizon and Star, his party. Speaking to the media, Dr. Maloney said he had to turn back his deputy because they were not allowed to pass in their vehicle. “I decide to come out and walk through,” he said.
One man showAsked what he thought were his chances of winning the elections, he said that it is a big secret. He said that if he were to win a seat in Parliament after the elections he would “take it to the Commonwealth.”
He said that his package included a Regional list and a Top Up list. He said that in terms of campaigns, he will “do posters and try the media.” Asked how much money he has allocated to his campaign, he said, “just my fortnightly salary but I don’t know if I could get a small loan somewhere.”
The man noted that he would seek to utilise the offer by the state-owned NCN television of five minutes to political parties to pitch their message with the hope of influencing voters.
*** FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURE GROUP
Anthony Snow of Fundamental Structure Group spoke to members of the media after submitting his party’s list. He made it clear that he did not see himself being elected President at this time and that is ok, because he wants to function from his seat in Parliament. He said that his organisation has an employment agency and business development programme and “these are things that we are currently doing now.”
Snow said that, as a young man, he needed to speak out to show the young people in the country that anyone can do it, “no matter what your disposition is.”
He said his relatively new movement could be that body in Parliament that keeps government in check and make sure they do what they say they would. “The decisions they make affect people in a massive way and if we don’t stand up for our rights, we will continue to be walked on...our roads should be clean. Our schools should be decent and we should be able to save some money at the end of the month,” he said.
“We don’t care which party gets into power. If they can apply some of the principles that we have, we know that it will eventually lead to the benefit of the public. The important thing is not being scared to stand up for what you believe in. In this country a lot of people have lost that faith in themselves,” Snow said.
Commissioner of GECOM Vincent Alexander said that while seven parties submitted lists of candidates, a number of those submissions had been out of order and had to be rectified and resubmitted. “We will have to process [the submissions] and tomorrow (today) GECOM will announce which party’s nominations have been accepted,” he said.
At exactly 18:00 hrs yesterday, Boodhoo closed the Nomination Day process and briefed the media about the day’s proceedings.
“It is now 18:00 hrs and as published in our notice, this brings Nomination Day 2011 to a close. Thank you very much for your attendance and participation. We wish you well,” said Boodhoo. He said that GECOM will be writing those parties which submitted deficient lists with a view to having them make the necessary corrections. Some of the deficiencies identified were inadequate number of support signatures, and some lists not submitted as required in accordance with the law.
Present at the Nomination Day exercise were Chairman of the Elections Commission Dr. Steve Surujbally, Commissioners of GECOM, members of the Diplomatic corps and other stakeholders.
