The Elections Commission must finish its job

Jul 05, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Please allow me to make this comment on your news item headed, “Don’t spout nonsense” in the 1st July, 2011 edition, in which it was stated that the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally, “…wants political parties to keep their mouths in check as he looks towards delivering another peaceful and credible elections process.”
I find this statement made by Mr Surujbally to be remarkable in the extreme.
The PNC in particular, has been “keeping their mouths in check”, so as far as I am concerned, in order to make Mr Surujbally’s dream a reality, but the cost to other people will be enormous.
The political parties of this country have in fact given this individual gigantic power over the lives of the people of Guyana. It should not have been done.
In Guyana there exist three (3) main forms of identification for Guyanese to live and transact business in their daily lives with one another and with business entities, and this includes international transactions.
The first form of identification is the very basic one of having a birth certificate.
The second form of identification, which could be described as the most accurate one, is the Passport which is issued by the Immigration Section of the Guyana Police Force, after extensive investigation of the accuracy of the information supplied about the applicant.
The third form of identification is the National identification card which is issued by the National Registration Centre of Guyana.
This is the general and most acceptable form of identification for Guyanese doing business in their daily lives in Guyana, whether for work, hire purchase arrangements, bank transactions etc.
As far as I know the National Registration Centre is a separate legal entity from the Guyana Elections Commission.
The National Registration Centre is supposed to receive information about an applicant, process that information and then issue the applicant with a National identification card.
This national identification card is supposed to be acceptable to any person in Guyana as well as any entity, including the Guyana Elections Commission, except there is any specific allegation of fraud concerning the information supplied by the applicant or in the manner of the preparation of a particular identification document.
For some reason, the work of the National Registration Centre has been placed under the Guyana Elections Commission.
If it turns out that persons cannot now obtain a national identification card in time to exercise his or her franchise, the political parties are now being given specific directions.
For my part, I would want the Guyana Elections Commission to finish whatever it is that has to be done to hold national elections in Guyana, since I am one of those persons who have placed my life on hold to see a new government in place at the earliest opportunity.
Juliet Holder-Allen
Attorney-At-Law

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The Elections Commission must finish its job

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