Three Lawyers and Judge couldn't see anything wrong with Vishnu Persaud education and qualifications. PPP gets their man.

@Django posted:

GECOM appointing Vishnu Persaud as new Chief Election Officer

Vishnu Persaud

Source

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) moments ago voted to appoint Vishnu Persaud as the new Chief Election Officer (CEO), effectively bringing an end to the three-months long process to fill the post.

Persaud is the holder of a Master of Business Administration from Anglia Ruskin University in London, a Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership (Electoral Processes) from Chartered Management Institute in London, and a Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Without a Bachelor’s Degree and the lack of substantive elections management experience, the Opposition side is adamant that Persaud is not suitably qualified.

1.  Anglia Ruskin University, London is one of the outstanding prestigious universities in the UK.

2.  One can undertake a Master degree at a university without obtaining a prior Bachelor's degree. One needs to show related specific experience plus very strong postgraduate undertaking.

@Former Member posted:

1.  Anglia Ruskin University, London is one of the outstanding prestigious universities in the UK.

2.  One can undertake a Master degree at a university without obtaining a prior Bachelor's degree.

One needs to show related specific experience plus very strong postgraduate undertaking.

Was Vishnu Persaud in the class room at the University or studied on line ?

Do Vishnu Persaud have the related experience and undertaking ?

Vishnu Persaud has the right “skills, experience & expertise” for the job – GECOM Chair on new CEO

GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh and new CEO Vishnu Persaud

See full statement from GECOM:

Vishnu Persaud is the New Chief Election Officer / Commissioner of Registration

10 December 2021, GEORGETOWN – At a meeting of the Guyana Elections Commission held on Friday, December 10, 2021 it was decided that Mr. Vishnu Persaud was the superior candidate of the two (2) persons interviewed and was selected to be the Chief Election Officer / Commissioner of Registration.

The process concluded after reviewing several applications for the post of which two (2) persons; Mr. Leslie Harrow and Mr. Vishnu Persaud were selected from a combined shortlist of persons to be interviewed. Subsequent to the interviews, the Commission met and deliberated on the candidates and Mr. Vishnu Persaud was selected.

Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice Claudette Singh in justifying the reasons for endorsing the successful applicant posited that; having heard the Commissioners and having read the endorsement of the former Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, she is of the view that Mr. Persaud has acquired institutional knowledge having been employed with GECOM for seventeen (17) years.

During his tenure at the Commission, Mr. Persaud held the post of Public Relations Officer, Deputy Chief Election Officer for three (3) years, and acted as Chief Election Officer on several occasions.

Justice Singh posited that Mr. Persaud is knowledgeable not only with the understanding and management of the work of the CEO’s office and the operational functions of the Secretariat but also with the geography of Guyana’s ten (10) Administrative Regions.

Owing to the reasons highlighted, Justice Singh noted that she has no hesitation in endorsing Mr. Persaud’s appointment since he has the necessary skills, experience, and expertise that makes him eminently qualified to handle the job.

Mr. Vishnu Persaud is expected to assume office in the new week; once all contractual and procedural matters are finalized and he is officially appointed and takes the Oath of Office.

The Commission is hopeful that with his extensive experience in the agency, Mr. Persaud will execute the functions of the office of Chief Election Officer and Commissioner of Registration within the confines of the law and deliver with excellence.

Meet the new Elections Chief Vishnu Persaud

Vishnu Persaud, 60, was on Friday named the country’s new Chief Elections Officer.

He returns to head the Secretariat of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the place where he worked for 16 years before in elections planning, management and implementation.

Persaud, originally from the Essequibo island of Wakenaam, served as Personal Assistant to Satyadeow Sawh, Minister of Fisheries, Crops and Livestock from February 1999 to October 2001.

After that, he began serving as the Public Relations Officer and de facto Personal Assistant to then GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally. And it was the endorsement of Dr Surujbally which helped secure him the job as CEO, with the current Chairman Justice Claudette Singh indicating that she relied on it in making her decision.

Persaud was appointed Deputy Chief Elections Officer in 2014; the appointment lasted for three years and his contract was not renewed.  The post was left vacant and the Commission advertised for applications.

Persaud applied and was interviewed and scored the highest with 76 points. However, the job was handed to Roxane Myers, who fell short of him by four points.

The vote to hire Myers over Persaud was made by then GECOM Chairman Justice James Patterson, who sought to discredit Persaud, claiming that he was “shifty” when it came to his qualifications.

But when the Ethnic Relations Commission launched a probe, the Chairman failed to provide any documents to prove his claim. With Persaud denied the post he was most qualified for, over other applicants, he went into private consultancy.

When GECOM fired its disgraced CEO Keith Lowenfield, the post was advertised and Persaud was among 20 to apply.

He was eventually named to the post on Friday afternoon. Three-government commissioners voted for his appointment while the three opposition commissioners voted against.

The chair of the elections Commission then cast the deciding vote.

In a statement, she said Persaud is knowledgeable not only with the understanding and management of the work of the CEO’s office and the operational functions of the Secretariat but also with the geography of Guyana’s ten Administrative Regions.

“Justice Singh noted that she has no hesitation in endorsing Mr. Persaud’s appointment since he has the necessary skills, experience, and expertise that makes him eminently qualified to handle the job,” GECOM stated.

For the 2020 elections, Persaud worked as an elections consultant with the Private Sector Commission, providing advice on Guyana’s electoral processes and preparing the training manual for Observers of the Commission.

Among his qualifications, Persaud holds a Master in Business Administration, a Diploma in Public Relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations of London, UK and a Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership (Electoral Processes) from the Chartered Management Institute, London, UK.

He also benefitted from professional training, including a professional course in electoral management from the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies, UK and a course in “Election Management – Role of Technology” through IIIDEM-COMSEC , New Delhi, India.

He engaged in Computer Training and Microsoft Project Management from the University of Guyana.

Among his professional affiliations, he was a member of the ACE Election Practitioners Network and a member of the India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management.

Persaud participated in the 6th International Electoral Affairs Symposium in Mauritius in 2013.

He was a member of UNASUR Election Accompaniment/Observer Mission to Venezuela in 2012, Ecuador in 2014 and Peru in 2016.

AFC commends GECOM on appointment of new CEO; says process needed to rebuild trust, confidence in electoral system

SEE STATEMENT FROM AFC ON GECOM’S SELECTION OF NEW CHIEF ELECTIONS OFFICER:

The Alliance For Change takes note that the Guyana Elections Commission has finally been able to identify a new Chief Elections Officer in the person of Mr. Vishnu Persaud. We thank the Commission for reaching a decision and appreciate that the task must have been arduous, and the process, divisive.

At the end of the day, a decision had to be made so that we can start the process of rebuilding trust and confidence in the electoral system and Guyana’s democracy.

As a prerequisite to rebuilding the credibility of the system, we must have a new Voters List – purged of all the contaminants of the past, and then, go on to hold Local Government Elections that are truly representative of the wishes of the people.

Mr. Persaud has a long and difficult road ahead and we trust that he has the “right stuff” to lead a team that can deliver free, fair and acceptable elections whenever required by law. It goes without saying that whoever had been chosen in this position would have received the approbation of half of the population and the suspicion and possible rejection of the other half. That this is so, is a sorry and painful reflection of the poor state of our democracy and pointedly proclaims that the appointment alone of a Chief Elections Officer, in and of itself, cannot and will not strengthen our weak and threatened democracy.

Much more has to be done by leaders, political parties, GECOM, civil society, citizens and our development partners, acting in concert, if we are to survive and become a united nation. The AFC commits to doing all in its power to bring about the cohesion, respect and trust that is needed at this time.

END.

AFC, APNU stances on appointment of GECOM Chief Election Officer differ

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Elections, News, Politics Saturday, 11 December 2021, 10:50 0 Comments -- Last Updated on Saturday, 11 December 2021, 10:50 by Denis Chabrol -- Source -- Demerara Waves -- https://demerarawaves.com/2021...tion-officer-differ/

The headquarters of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Railway Road, Kitty.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) on Saturday set itself a part from its major coalition partner, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), in staying clear of criticising the process that led to the appointment of Vishnu Persaud as Guyana’s new Chief Election Officer.

The AFC highlighted that anyway the appointment went, it would have been rejected by half of Guyana’s population

“It goes without saying that whoever had been chosen in this position would have  received the approbation of half of the population and the suspicion and possible rejection of the other half,” the AFC said.

That party noted that the appointment alone of a Chief Election Officer could not alone ” strengthen our weak and threatened democracy.”

The AFC thanked the seven-member GECOM for identifying Mr. Persaud as the new Chief Election Officer, even as it noted that the decision-making process must have been arduous and divisive.

President David Granger administered the Oath of Office to Justice Claudette Singh, SC, CCH. She was sworn-in as the new Chairman of the Elections Commission. In this photo, Justice Singh takes the Oath of Office at the Ministry of the Presidency.

While the AFC did not join the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led APNU in criticising the GECOM Chairman Retired Justice Claudette Singh for breaking the deadlock between the three opposition-aligned and governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-aligned commissioners, that party echoed previous joint APNU and AFC calls for a fresh voters’ list as part of steps to rebuild trust and confidence in the electoral system.

“As a prerequisite to rebuilding the credibility of the system, we must have a new Voters List – purged of all the contaminants of the past, and then, go on to hold Local Government Elections that are truly representative of the wishes of the people,” the AFC said.

The party said Mr. Persaud has a long and difficult road ahead and it  trust that he has the “right stuff” to lead a team that can deliver free, fair and acceptable elections whenever required by law.

The AFC said much more has to be done by leaders, political parties, GECOM, civil society, citizens and “our development partners, acting in concert, if we are to survive and become a united nation.”  “The AFC commits to doing all in its power to bring about the cohesion, respect and trust that is needed at this time.”

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon on Friday accused Justice Singh of favouring the PPPC. Later Friday, apparent front-runner for the post of PNCR Leader, Aubrey Norton said PNCR members would have to wage an aggressive campaign not only for a fresh voters list but also a new GECOM Chairman and a new Chief Election Officer. “We believe that the appointment was a collusion between the Chairman of the Elections Commission and the PPP Commissioners to put a PPP hack as Chief Election Officer. We will oppose it. I said to you before that we will fight for a new voters’ list; we now have to fight for a new Chairman and Chief Election Officer. There can be no free and fair election when Claudette Singh continues to show her partisan nature,” he said.

But overnight the three opposition-backed GECOM Commissioners- Vincent Alexander, Charles Corbin and Desmond Trotman- dissociated themselves from the decision to select Mr. Persaud over Jamaican former election official, Leslie Harrow. “Mr. Harrow’s qualifications taken as a whole, is by any standard superior to that of Mr. Persaud. The Chairperson in announcing her decision stated her reliance on a testimonial provided by the previous Chairperson. That gives credence to the contention that the entire process was a travesty,” they said.

Vishnu Persaud

Messrs. Alexander, Corbin and Trotman said the “travesty” could have been avoided if the Commission had not rejected its recommendation that a team of human resource experts be involved in the interview and selection process. They said that it is evident that the GECOM Chairman had already decided to select Mr. Persaud over Mr. Harrow because she had already gone to Friday’s meeting with a pre-written decision. “In that circumstance, the Chairperson, who presided over the meeting in which Commissioners made their pleadings, read a predetermined ruling. In other words, even as the pleadings were being presented, the Chair had already scripted her decision. That only made the process more of a travesty, since the pleadings would not have been taken into consideration in the determination of her decision. That apart, in announcing her decision, no reference was made to the agreed qualification and assessment criteria required of the candidates,” they said.

Mr. Persaud , a former Public Relations Officer and Deputy Chief Election Officer, is next week expected to sign his contract and take the oath of office to succeed Keith Lowenfield whose contract has been terminated.

I think that Vishnu Persaud  have more relevant experience.

Congratulations! 4>3.

@Mitwah posted:

I think that Vishnu Persaud  have more relevant experience.

Congratulations! 4>3.

For padding Voters List. Will he answer to the call and clean it up ?

Is wuh wrong to you eh banna, now why would anyone want the voters list, cleaned up? Wuh wrong wit dead people votin, dem doan have rights too? I was gonna say, Dead Lives Matter but I doan think dead and lives gon wuk here.

@Django posted:

For padding Voters List. Will he answer to the call and clean it up ?

I think it's his legacy. They should look at Region 4 and perhaps split it up.

One fo you, one fo me.