GECOM Chairman should be nonpolitical – Rodney CoI recommends

February 23, 2016 By GuyanaTimes, http://www.guyanatimesgy.com/2...dney-coi-recommends/

Rigged Burnham elections

Recommendations emanating from the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry Report regarding the dangers of a partisanship of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman comes on the heels of numerous allegations of biasness mounted against current GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally.

The CoI Commissioners: Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbadian Queen’s Counsel and CoI Chairperson, Sir Richard Cheltenham and Queen’s Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown from Jamaica

In light of the spate of rigged elections that plagued the country during the People’s National Congress (PNC) rule, the report recommended that the GECOM Chairman should be a person of the highest integrity and nonpolitical and his/her appointment should meet with the approval of the opposition groups and sectoral interests.

Members of the Guyana Defence Force seen packing ballot boxes during the 1973 elections

In fact, the report suggested that the Chairman ought to be sourced from a Caribbean Community (Caricom) Member of State, if necessary.

Additionally, the report made it clear that the political opposition and other interests should be adequately represented on the Commission.

These recommendations come at a time when Dr Surujbally’s creditability is on the line following the recently concluded General and Regional Elections on May 11, 2015.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) strongly believed that Dr Surujbally was part and parcel in the rigging of the last elections which led to its narrow defeat against the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) government.

Since the announcement of the results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections, the Party has been calling for the immediate resignation of Dr Surujbally. The call was mounted particularly because of his failure to acquiesce to the Party’s request for a total recount of the ballots, as it contended that the elections were rigged.

The Party had also charged that the recruitment of polling staff reportedly connected to the coalition was known by the GECOM Chairman.

At one point also, the PPP/C accused Dr Surujbally of bullying and intimidating staff and his actions cumulatively compromised the independence of GECOM, its functions and role as an agency to ensure free and fair elections.

On the other hand, the GECOM Chairman on more than one occasion derided the statements made by the Parliamentary Opposition, maintaining that he will not be going anywhere on the demands of the PPP/C.

Meanwhile, with the local government elections fast-approaching, the PPP/C is still concerned about the competence, ability and creditability of GECOM to deliver free and fair elections.