Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
APNU steps up pressure to remove Returning Officer
– pickets GECOM’s offices for meeting on media access
With just less than six weeks to go before the November 28th General and Regional Elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) headquarters in Kingston was the scene of a protest yesterday, regarding a critical meeting on fair media access by political parties.
A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) also chanted for the removal of Jaigobin Mohabir as Returning Officer for Region Four. The coalition-front body accused Mohabir of being guilty of past electoral wrongdoing.
Under the watchful eyes of police ranks, the 20-odd persons including leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin, and APNU’s Presidential Candidate, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, also called on GECOM to ensure its mandate by allowing free and fair elections.
APNU’s Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and David Granger were among the persons picketing GECOM’s head office yesterday.
Last week, after weeks of objection by opposition parties of Mohabir being named the Returning Officer of Region Four, GECOM reportedly voted to keep him.
Mohabir was accused of signing Statements of Polls while he was a Deputy Returning Officer during the 1997 elections when he was not authorized to do so.
But according to APNU yesterday, the picketing action of GECOM was also spurred by a number of other reasons.
In a released letter sent yesterday by Corbin to GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, the coalition body complained about a critical meeting that never took place because GECOM “did not find it important”.
APNU had sent letters and made oral requests for a special meeting to discuss the “single issue of access to the media” during a session with GECOM on October 5th.
However, APNU said that it learnt on Monday that the meeting would in all likelihood not take place.
During a conversation between PNCR General Secretary, Oscar Clarke and Dr. Surujbally, APNU said that the distinct impression was conveyed that the meeting was “not warranted”.
“We find this development to be contrary to GECOM’s expected positive engagement with stakeholders to facilitate a free, fair and transparent election. We cannot fathom what has triggered this attempt to abort an urgent and legitimate engagement between GECOM and the Opposition, or APNU, in particular, and do not wish to speculate,” Corbin said in the letter to the GECOM Chairman.
The coalition urged GECOM to receive another delegation “as a matter of urgency to review matters of concern to us.”
Also present at the picketing exercise were senior APNU officials including Anthony Vieira, Hamilton Green and Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, among others.
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