By Fareeza Haniff

PPP Member, Zulfikar Mustapha and General Secretary, Clement Rohee during the press conference today, August 18, 2014. [iNews' Photo]

At a press conference on Monday, August 18, General Secretary Clement Rohee told reporters that its activists found 18 people living at the same address in Georgetown.

Rohee did not state a specific area. “At the said address, they found one of the 18 people with a prepared list of the 18 that were listed. The PPP finds this very unusual. While it may be possible that these 18 persons are living at that address, we call on GECOM [Guyana Elections Commission] to physically verify these persons’ existence and their place of residence,” the General Secretary said.

He further noted that the PPP has been submitting irregularities to GECOM on an ongoing basis rather than wait until the Claims and Objections period concludes.

“The PPP stands by its claim of list padding.” On August 12, GECOM had cause to issue a statement noting that it is in receipt of reports from Region 1 (Barima-Waini) that unauthorized persons, claiming to be employees of GECOM, have been visiting homes with copies of extracts of the current PLE to check and advise residents on their registration status.

Shortly after GECOM’s statement, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) stated it is aware that the PPP is using ‘so called’ Community Support Officers (CSO) to do political work in Barima-Waini Region.

A press statement from the Party had noted that the CSO’s who are paid by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs “are masquerading as officers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and canvasing residents of the region.”

In response, Rohee noted today that “GECOM must produce its evidence of impersonators posing as GECOM officials in Region One.”

He said the claim by GECOM put the lives of the PPP activists at risk.

“This hasty and unfounded claim by GECOM about impersonators on the ground on Region One was made in such a way that it put the lives of PPP activists at risk even before they went to check what was the truth on the ground,” Rohee told reporters.

The General Secretary made it clear that it is GECOM’s responsibility to inform the public that Political Parties are in possession of “these list and are carrying out house to house work to check for discrepancies.”

The PPP, he said remains convinced that GECOM is better prepared for general elections and not local government elections.