The Week-in-Review - May 30th to June 5th

Motion at GECOM seeks removal of Lowenfield, Mingo, Myers: More than a year after he was accused of attempting to rig the March 2020 Elections, Chief Election Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield has been asked by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to show cause why he should not be dismissed. The request has been made following the tabling of a motion for his immediate dismissal by the government-nominated members of GECOM. Similar motions were presented for the dismissal of Deputy Chief Election Officer Roxanne Myers and District Four Returning Officer (RO) Clairmont Mingo. They have each been informed of the motions via letter from GECOM Chair Claudette Singh and given until June 15 to respond to the allegations. In the motion presented by Commissioner Sase Gunraj and seconded by Commissioner Bibi Shadick, Lowenfield is accused of acting in a manner which has caused a loss of public confidence and public trust in the electoral process. Myers is accused of aiding and abetting Lowenfield’s actions while Mingo is accused of discarding his oath of office and failing to act fairly and impartially or legally in the discharge of his duties. Additionally they have all been accused of failing, neglecting and abdicating their functions, duties and responsibility to ensure both compliance with the provisions of the Constitution and the electoral legislative framework and the essential criteria of impartiality, transparency, fairness and credibility to the operations of the Elections Commission and its Secretariat. Speaking with Stabroek News Myers acknowledged that the motion has been laid but declined to comment. She said that she intended to respond via the mechanism provided by the Commission. Lowenfield said that he was aware of the motion but had not read the contents nor received the letter from the Chair. “I walked out of the meeting and came straight home. That correspondence is likely on my desk,” he stated.

President denies attempting to influence Police Service Commission: President Irfaan Ali last week denied attempting to influence the work of the Police Service Commission (PSC), a charge levelled by the Chairman, former Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe. The accusations and counter-accusations are the latest salvoes in what has seen increasing divisions in the Guyana Police Force (GPF), controversy over promotions and a flurry of criminal charges At a press conference last Monday, Slowe accused President Ali of attempting on several occasions to influence the promotion of senior members of the GPF. According to Slowe the charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, which have been levelled against him and PSC member Clinton Conway, are part of a plot to dismantle the current PSC and install a more easily influenced Commission before the current promotions list can be officially issued. Other aspects of the alleged plot include taking control of the Police Association, which is one of four groups that nominate members of the PSC to Parliament’s Committee of Appointments. Speaking during the virtual press conference, Slowe alleged that Ali made contact with him on two occasions in September 2020 and on December 23 2020 in an attempt to have particular members of the Guyana Police Force promoted.