GECOM votes to keep controversial Returning Officer
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:57
Source
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided by majority vote not to sack Jaigobin Mohabir as the Returning Officer for Region Four but the two major opposition parties on Tuesday vowed to intensify pressure to get him removed.
At the crux of the demand by the opposition for Jaigobin to go is the fact, as Deputy Returning Officer, he had signed Statements of Poll in the 1997 election although that should have been the sole responsibility of the Returning Officer.
But a well-placed GECOM source told Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com ) that the commission last week decided that Mohabir’s appointment would not be revoked. The decision had hinged on Commission Chairman, Steve Surujbally’s vote.
Demwaves.com was told that he voted to keep Mohabir after reading stacks of a variety of documents and meeting. They included minutes and reports, the Claudette Singh (High Court) ruling and laws governing Statements of Poll.
“After having done all of that, he found that Mohabir had not done anything wrong hence he cannot support the termination of appointment,” the source said. A number of “knowledgeable” persons were also consulted.
The three opposition-associated commissioners voted against keeping Mohabir while those with ties to the governing Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) supported him, resulting in Surujbally having to break the tie.
But both A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) on Tuesday said they would not let up in their quest to get Mohabir out of the Returning Officer’s chair.
“We would like GECOM to revisit its position because this is to deliberately walk to crisis. Our interest is a smooth run up to election,” APNU’s Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine told demwaves.com
Like APNU, the AFC said it wanted to hold emergency talks with GECOM. However, AFC’s presidential candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan ruled out taking the matter to court.
“Our position that is very disappointing news but we would want to still urge that he be removed from there. We are not going to court at this late hour,” said Ramjattan.
He contended that while GECOM’s appointment process was now somewhat “tarnished,” he did not believe that all of the commission’s work has suffered similar fate.
Demerara Waves was told that Mohabir’s competence and suitability have been highly regarded by senior managers of the commission.
The Commission source, however, noted Jaigobin signed the parallel Statements of Poll out of necessity and acted on the instruction of his superior officers based on a directive by the commission at the time.
“The tension at the time was of such that something had to be done to bring the declaration of the results to a closure,” the official told Demerara Waves on condition of anonymity.
At least 100 Returning Offficers in District Four at the then time had refused to sign the Statements of Poll and so a decision was taken to write up parallel ones from tally sheets at polling stations, mark them ‘re-do’ and sign them so that the results could have been declared.
A forensic audit conducted by Ulric Cross had found nothing wrong statistically with the elections. The High Court had, however, vitiated the elections after finding that the use of voter identification cards was unconstitutional.
The PNC, WPA and GAP have, nevertheless, maintained that that the appointment of a Returning Officer with such a “colourful past” would undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Tuesday, 11 October 2011 18:57
Source
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided by majority vote not to sack Jaigobin Mohabir as the Returning Officer for Region Four but the two major opposition parties on Tuesday vowed to intensify pressure to get him removed. At the crux of the demand by the opposition for Jaigobin to go is the fact, as Deputy Returning Officer, he had signed Statements of Poll in the 1997 election although that should have been the sole responsibility of the Returning Officer.
But a well-placed GECOM source told Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com ) that the commission last week decided that Mohabir’s appointment would not be revoked. The decision had hinged on Commission Chairman, Steve Surujbally’s vote.
Demwaves.com was told that he voted to keep Mohabir after reading stacks of a variety of documents and meeting. They included minutes and reports, the Claudette Singh (High Court) ruling and laws governing Statements of Poll.
“After having done all of that, he found that Mohabir had not done anything wrong hence he cannot support the termination of appointment,” the source said. A number of “knowledgeable” persons were also consulted.
The three opposition-associated commissioners voted against keeping Mohabir while those with ties to the governing Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) supported him, resulting in Surujbally having to break the tie.
But both A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) on Tuesday said they would not let up in their quest to get Mohabir out of the Returning Officer’s chair.
“We would like GECOM to revisit its position because this is to deliberately walk to crisis. Our interest is a smooth run up to election,” APNU’s Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine told demwaves.com
Like APNU, the AFC said it wanted to hold emergency talks with GECOM. However, AFC’s presidential candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan ruled out taking the matter to court.
“Our position that is very disappointing news but we would want to still urge that he be removed from there. We are not going to court at this late hour,” said Ramjattan.
He contended that while GECOM’s appointment process was now somewhat “tarnished,” he did not believe that all of the commission’s work has suffered similar fate.
Demerara Waves was told that Mohabir’s competence and suitability have been highly regarded by senior managers of the commission.
The Commission source, however, noted Jaigobin signed the parallel Statements of Poll out of necessity and acted on the instruction of his superior officers based on a directive by the commission at the time.
“The tension at the time was of such that something had to be done to bring the declaration of the results to a closure,” the official told Demerara Waves on condition of anonymity.
At least 100 Returning Offficers in District Four at the then time had refused to sign the Statements of Poll and so a decision was taken to write up parallel ones from tally sheets at polling stations, mark them ‘re-do’ and sign them so that the results could have been declared.
A forensic audit conducted by Ulric Cross had found nothing wrong statistically with the elections. The High Court had, however, vitiated the elections after finding that the use of voter identification cards was unconstitutional.
The PNC, WPA and GAP have, nevertheless, maintained that that the appointment of a Returning Officer with such a “colourful past” would undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
