March 21, 2016 Source
Dear Editor,
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been focused and resolute in preparing for the just concluded Local Government Elections. The Local Authorities (Elections) Law stipulates clearly what GECOM is responsible for: the conduct of elections.GECOM’s duties encompass voter registration; compilation of the Official Voters’List; procurement, production and management of ballot sheets and other sensitive and non-sensitive material for Elections; management of polling and E- day staff; and the declaration of results.
Notwithstanding the above and its legally based mandate, GECOM has actively and proactively engaged itself in civic voter education undertakings since the last quarter, shortly after the May 2015 General and Regional Elections.
Yet we are daily confronted by the accusations of those who would not recognize our efforts, but even unabashedly posture that they are doing GECOM’s work. The fact is that we are doing their work, since many of the candidates seem to have abrogated their responsibilities. After all, those who are making the negative and deleterious comments about GECOM are the ones who want to be elected.
If the turnout was lower than expected, it is not because GECOM did not offer education to the voting public, but it may be because the candidates did not do enough work on their own behalf. Or it could be that the voters are sick and tired of the posturing and the blame throwing, not lastly at one another.
There are surely several other elements and considerations which can be factored into the debate about the level of turnout. Below, you will find a synopsis of GECOM’s activities pertaining to civic and voter education:
1. Public announcement messages on various aspects of the electoral process were conceptualized, produced and disseminated. Nine skit-types and nine narratives with the sign language component for the benefit of the hearing impaired were produced and aired on radio and television stations.
2. One hundred thousand flyers and brochures on Local Government Elections were produced and distributed at grass roots’ levels via all registration offices, political parties and stakeholders.
3. Interactive public engagements were held within all of the 71 Local Authority Areas. The schedules for these meetings were publicised in the print media and via public address systems, and flyers were distributed within the respective communities.
4. Public engagements were held with potential contestants in the run-up to the deadline for the submission of application for approval of symbols and requirements for list submission on Nomination Day, etc.
5. Weekly panel discussions on Local Government Elections, with a call-in feature, were aired on NCN. Copies of this programme were shown on television stations in regions where NCN broadcasts do not reach.
6. 100,000 copies of flyers about “No Contest Areas” and the three different types of ballots were produced and distributed.
7. Full-page, half-page and quarter-page advertisements were offered to the public in the four daily newspapers on a weekly basis, with information being featured on the Local Government Elections process. These advertisements included information on proxy applications, illustrations of the voting process, voting requirements, etc.
8. Invitations to discussions on LGE facilitated by GECOM were dispatched to 96 civil society organizations across the coastland. These organizations were required to invite their respective constituencies to these forums for interactions.
9. Meetings were arranged in Local Authority Areas & Constituencies where there were to be no elections, in order to advise electors on that particular process.
10. Hotlines had been established, and were adequately publicized.
11. Pertinent information was published continuously on the GECOM website.
12. GECOM participated meaningfully at public events eg. Essequibo Night & Business Expo.
13. Ballot officers’ meetings were conducted with ranks at strategic Disciplined Forces’ locations, including the Mazaruni Prison.
14. “ASK GECOM STREET MARKETING CAMPAIGN”, which included pop-up booths were featured around the country, and a mini caravan sharing information on LGE was also featured.
15. Numerous appearances on TV talk shows were made.
16. LAA and constituency billboards were installed.
17. “Below the Line Text Messaging” on LGE via GTT and Digicel was done.
18. Scroll advertisements and messages were made on television stations.
GECOM also acknowledges the organisations that were actively involved in the awareness and dissemination of information on the Local Government Elections. These include Merundoi Inc. Guyana, The Guyana National Youth Council, and Youth Challenge Guyana. Never, in the history of civic and voter education in Guyana, has so much positive result-yielding effort been made.
We therefore demand to know what the complainers would have done more and better instead of nattering negativities. GECOM carried the voters to the proverbial water; it was up to the candidates to encourage them to drink.
Regards,
TAMARA RODNEY,
Public Relations Officer