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AFC Chairman urges GECOM to get ready for elections

March 25, 2019

– in case State loses NCM cases at CCJ

Persons pushing for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to be in a state of readiness for General and Regional Elections, notwithstanding Friday’s Appellate Court decision, have found an unlikely ally in Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

During a Globespan Town Hall panel discussion on Saturday which featured Ramjattan and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) parliamentarian Juan Edghill, Ramjattan stressed that he wanted GECOM to be in a state of readiness for elections, whenever they are called.
Ramjattan even committed to using his role as the leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) to push for GECOM to continue its preparations for elections. Persons have opined that because of Friday’s judgement, the pressure was off the Commission to get its house in order. Ramjattan disagreed.
“I am absolutely certain … in fact, I think, that both parties would want that GECOM prepare for an election. Remember there is a third round in the battle. And (we) could very well not win the third round. And there would obviously be a need for early elections.
“So GECOM must prepare. And I, as Chairman of my party, will urge that the GECOM Chairman and the Commissioners there and the Secretariat continue the work to ensure the preparations will be completed in good time for even an early election.”
That being said, Ramjattan is sticking to the Government’s position that house-to-house registration must be held. On the contrary, however, Edghill insisted that GECOM had a responsibility to have been ready in the first place.
“The Constitution envisions for GECOM to always be ready for elections in 90 days. There are three instances in which you can have elections in Guyana. A no-confidence motion – 90 days. The President at any time in his five-year term can call elections. The Parliament dissolved? Elections. GECOM needs to stop making excuses,” the Member of Parliament said.

GECOM
Before Friday’s fateful Appellate Court judgement turned everything on its head, the parliamentary Opposition and other observers had accused Government of attempting to delay the holding of the constitutionally-mandated elections following the no-confidence resolution of December 21, 2018.
The three-month time frame in which the polls were to be held was validated in January by acting Chief Justice Roxane George, who declared that the motion was validly passed 33-32.

The complaint has been that GECOM was unforthcoming about its preparedness for the mandatory elections despite being mandated by the Constitution of Guyana to hold elections within three months of the passage of a no-confidence motion.
In fact, during a previous meeting with Opposition and Government Chief Whips, the GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice James Patterson abruptly ended a meeting on the Commission’s preparedness after he was pressed for answers.
The trend of meetings of GECOM Commissioners ending abruptly would continue, as both sides pushed for different objectives. While the Opposition-nominated Commissioners would push for early elections, the Government-nominated Commissioners would argue for delaying elections through house-to-house registration.
Prior to the ruling on Friday, Government had written to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to inform him that President David Granger would soon be naming a date for elections. Now that the Appeal Court has ruled the no-confidence motion was not validly passed, this is now in limbo.
However, the parliamentary Opposition has made it clear that it would appeal the ruling, at the level of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Bibi HaniffaGNI Queen

Suppose GECOM is not ready for elections in 2020. What do we do, sit down and wait?

3/25/198:24 PM

Former Member

Bibi Haniffa posted:
Suppose GECOM is not ready for elections in 2020. What do we do, sit down and wait?

Yes. Granger said that elections will be held only when GECOM is ready. Given that all they do at GECOM is sit on their lazy asses, elections could be in about 5, nay 50 years or so.

3/25/199:42 PM

Former Member

Bibi Haniffa posted:
Suppose GECOM is not ready for elections in 2020. What do we do, sit down and wait?

Well you all call Burnham's constitution a sacred text. Maybe you should have focused on replacing it instead of pushing for an unnecessary power grab. And the Coalition gov't did promise to do so and so not doing so was a breach of promise.

3/26/1912:45 AM

Former Member

ksazma posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Suppose GECOM is not ready for elections in 2020. What do we do, sit down and wait?
Yes. Granger said that elections will be held only when GECOM is ready. Given that all they do at GECOM is sit on their lazy asses, elections could be in about 5, nay 50 years or so.

Well they are obeying Burnham's constitution which says that elections only happen when GECOM says that they should and that the president remains until after the elections are held and he wins, or a new president wins.

But you all want to keep Burnham's constitution so what can I say. You have the constitution and you have his thugs like Lumumba, Joe Hamilton, Kit Nascimento and Norman McLean. Only Kwame seems to have disappeared, I guess because of the thrashing that he got from Jagdeo on election day in 2015.

3/26/1912:48 AM

Former Member

No where in Burnham's crooked constitution are the words "absolute majority". It was two Appellate Court Judges who invented that idiotic argument thereby rendering that constitution even more crooked in its current application. They demonstrate their PNC bullyism by their interpolation.

3/26/195:50 AM

KeithSenior Member

PNC/AFC/APNU and the PPP seem to forget when in power they have the opportunity to amend the constitution. Both parties supporters been asking for changes to the constitution for years but it felt on deaf ears now when there is an issue they calling for changes. What were both parties doing for the 40 plus years combine, beside filling their pockets?

3/26/196:24 AM

Former Member

ksazma posted:
No where in Burnham's crooked constitution are the words "absolute majority". It was two Appellate Court Judges who invented that idiotic argument thereby rendering that constitution even more crooked in its current application. They demonstrate their PNC bullyism by their interpolation.

Even if there was, 33 of 65 is absolute. They invented the 0.5 person concept. They know it but was deliberate to create a delay and get the voting fraud machinery in place.

3/26/196:40 AM

MitwahSenior Member

caribny posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Suppose GECOM is not ready for elections in 2020. What do we do, sit down and wait?
Well you all call Burnham's constitution a sacred text. Maybe you should have focused on replacing it instead of pushing for an unnecessary power grab. And the Coalition gov't did promise to do so and so not doing so was a breach of promise.

Where in the constitution the words "absolute majority" is stated.

3/26/196:55 AM

Former Member

Mitwah posted:
caribny posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Suppose GECOM is not ready for elections in 2020. What do we do, sit down and wait?
Well you all call Burnham's constitution a sacred text. Maybe you should have focused on replacing it instead of pushing for an unnecessary power grab. And the Coalition gov't did promise to do so and so not doing so was a breach of promise.
Where in the constitution the words "absolute majority" is stated.

Cribby like the judges, making up along the way!

I believe worse is yet to come. The PNC will not use the security forces to do their dirty work. They are in the process of reconstituting terrorists gangs to suppress any move to reinstate democracy.

Jagdeo cannot relent even if it means fracturing the state. Do not allow or accept another spate of neo-Burnhamism. Everyone who support democracy, even if you disagree with him, must stand with him on this!

3/26/197:05 AM

Former Member

ksazma posted:
No where in Burnham's crooked constitution are the words "absolute majority". It was two Appellate Court Judges who invented that idiotic argument thereby rendering that constitution even more crooked in its current application. They demonstrate their PNC bullyism by their interpolation.

So if the constitution is crooked why not get rid of it. Why not make replacing it a priority? The constitution provides protection to despots and Jagdeo, being a despot screamed that it was the best in the Caribbean. So he doesnt want to replace it.

So I have no interest in your squeals about this. You want Burnham behavior so if you get it that is because you wanted it.

3/26/1911:15 AM

Former Member

Baseman posted:
e way!
I believe worse is yet to come. The PNC will not use the security forces to do their dirty work. They are in the process of reconstituting terrorists gangs to suppress any move to reinstate democracy.
J

So you are implying that Granger MIGHT do what Jagdeo DID. Use a private militia to enforce their vile acts.

Yet you endorse Jagdeo. SMH! Now I would have thought that Jagdeo allowing a criminal to attack a PPP minister, his family and staff would have been the limit for people like you and Gilbakka, but neither of you have any shame!

3/26/1911:17 AM

Former Member

Mitwah posted:
wait?
Where in the constitution the words "absolute majority" is stated.

I really dont care to discuss a constitution which was written by a dictator and installed by fraud. The point is that people hiding behind this fraudulent constitution which was initially set out to oppress them when they were in the opposition shows a complete lack of integrity.

The Coalition promised to work on the constitution. They did not. If Jagdeo had any integrity he would have used the NCV to force the removal of this constitution. He is not.

This whole exercise is a power grab by two ethnic elites, neither of whom want real democracy in Guyana.

3/26/1911:22 AM