Revamp GECOM after local Govt. elections

Mar 10, 2014 News

– Chris Ram

Minister in the Ministry of Local Government, Norman Whittaker, must explain whether he was articulating government’s policy when he said that the vast majority of the populace is not prepared for the holding of local government polls by August 1.
He added that “to go ahead would result in the waste of a lot of money.”

Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram

In a recent letter in the print media, commentator Christopher Ram said that “even by the standards of inanity now associated with the vast majority of the PPP/C and Government spokespersons, Whittaker’s statement is outstanding for its disconnect with the Constitution of Guyana and with the laws relating to local government elections…
Ram suggested, however, that it might be more that simple ignorance and rather, that it shows the little or no regard which PPP/C ministers have for democracy and the drift to autocracy which Guyana has suffered since democracy returned to it in 1992 and the last local government elections held in 1994.”
Invited to comment on the letter, Ram stated that it is a serious indictment of the ruling party that one of its own Ministers can claim in 2014 that that the citizens of Guyana are less prepared for democracy than they were in 1994.
Drawing attention to the constitutional and statutory requirements governing local government elections, Ram noted that “if Whittaker had read only up to Article 12 of the Constitution, he would be aware that “local government by freely elected representatives of the people is an integral part of the democratic organisation of the State”.
He added that the Minister “would also have some passing familiarity that an entire Chapter VII is devoted to Local Democracy and that Article 71 pronounces that Local Government is a vital aspect of democracy and shall be organised so as to involve as many people as possible in the task of managing and developing the communities in which they live.”

GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally02

Ram said, too, that not for a moment does he believe that Whittaker is unfamiliar with those provisions, adding “What I believe is his real problem – apart from the dread that local government elections will be disastrous for the PPP/C – is Article 75 which allows for local democratic organs to be autonomous… Not surprisingly, a party whose article of faith seems based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm, has successfully delayed local government elections for seventeen years, depriving citizens of their constitutional rights.”
According to Ram, the citizens of Guyana expect that those responsible for the holding of local government elections will discharge their constitutional and statutory duties.
He noted that the country has a “full-time Elections Commission (GECOM) which between 2007 and 2013 inclusive but excluding election year 2011 benefitted from $10,476 million, including the amount voted by the National Assembly for 2013…
Additionally, the average amount spent in the last two elections years (2006 and 2011) was some $2,800 million, a clear indication that the National Assembly is generally generous with its annual allocations to GECOM.”
Noting that the Local Authorities (Elections) Act “gives the power (and the duty) to fix the date for local government elections to the Minister of Local Government” Ram said, “Mr. Whittaker has no discretion as to whether citizens want such elections or not and he should be confronted in the National Assembly with his unbelievable nonsense.
“Moreover, the President or his Governance Advisor must tell the country whether Whittaker was articulating government policy.”
According to Ram, “The parliamentary opposition and civil society organisations must now provide the leadership to stop this abuse of citizens’ constitutional rights and do everything that is necessary to ensure that local government elections which were due since 1997 are held no later than August 1, 2014.”
On the issue of the readiness of GECOM to conduct local government elections, Ram said that many countries with several millions of electors including India with several hundred millions can respond to elections called at relatively short notice.
Ram noted too that Article 106 of the Constitution requires general and regional elections to be held within three months of a vote of no confidence against the Government in the National Assembly. It hardly seems logical that GECOM has to be prepared to have general and regional elections within three months but needs twice that time to hold local government elections.
Ram said that it was more than overdue that we abolish the Carter model of the Election Commission which was supposed to have applied to the 1992 elections only.
He cautioned that the overhaul take place after local government elections so as to avoid any further delay.