GECOM must fully probe alleged electoral illegalities

Dear Editor, Two incidents involving GECOM staffers operating in the Plegt Anker/ Kortberaadt Local Authority Area (LAA) on the East Bank of Berbice involving alleged electoral illegalities by the APNU were highlighted by the Guyana Times as reported upon by Member of Parliament Adrian Anamayah. Mr. Ganesh Mahipaul from the PNCR also highlighted another case in Wakenaam on Facebook where he alleged cases of similar illegalities by the PPP and Mr. Jai Ambedkar has highlighted similar incidents involving alleged identical illegalities by the AFC.

It is imperative that the respective political parties write to GECOM’s CEO Keith Lowenfield on these issues and that he investigates, corrects and sanctions the wrongdoers including his own GECOM staff members if culpable. After all, the buck stops at his desk if there is evidence to support these claims.

Plegt Anker/Kortberaadt is a district on the Berbice River that is about 10-15 miles upriver from New Amsterdam. The Guyana Times reported on September 22 (https://guyanatimesgy.com/controversyover-list-alleged-biased-behaviour-bygecom-staff-reported/) and again on September 23 (https://guyanatimesgy. com/7-ppp-supporters-say-they-weretricked-to-sign-apnu-lge-forms/) that “7 PPP supporters were tricked into signing APNU nomination forms as supporters”. Two of these supporters - Omesh Kumar and Tulapersaud Heeman Kumar have declared such themselves and stand by this claim.

The right thing for GECOM to do is secure sworn statements from those making the allegations and take action to delete their names from one of the lists. I was advised they thought they were signing for social assistance.

But what was even more concerning in this far corner of Guyana, the security guard and GECOM staff are accused of exercising bias by denying the PPP the No.1 slot when the system was designed as first come, first served. The PPP was first in line some 12 hours before opening hours at the GECOM office. The APNU Team arrived about 3 hours before the opening hours and took the No. 2 place in the line. However, upon the opening of the office, the GECOM Officer allegedly instructed the guard to distribute the No. 1 tag to the APNU team and the No. 2 tag to the PPP.

In normal circumstance this would have been a simple act of discrimination and preferential treatment, but in this case with the names Omesh Kumar and Tulapersaud Heeman Kumar among 5 others sitting on both lists, this incident can support the conclusion that it was just plain old electoral skullduggery to pad the APNU list.

This is not a small incident, and thus I will be joining a charge to internationalize these acts of apparent electoral skullduggery by bringing them to the attention of the Diplomatic Corps especially the US Embassy, the Carter Center, IFES and others because these signs of fraudulent activities must be snuffed out in the bud. GECOM is the last line of defence in protecting free and fair elections and elections free from fear and irrespective of which party did the act, they must be exposed.

I now call on Mr. Mahipaul and Mr. Ambedkar to publish their facts on the PPP and AFC respectively so that the public can be made aware of any act of electoral skullduggery. Yours faithfully, Sasenarine Singh