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Questions arise again over GECOM’s independence
The question of the independence of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) may again be rearing its head as Local Government polls becomes a real possibility after more than almost two decades.
GECOM under the law, Opposition Parliamentarians have been arguing, is supposed to be an autonomous body, not dependent on the National Assembly to pass its monies.
GECOM’s Chairman,
Dr. Steve Surujbally
However, a 2003 law called Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMA) has taken away that autonomy by making GECOM accountable to Parliament, a worrying fact that may even conflict with the Constitution, observers say.
Last year, Member of Parliament, Carl Greenidge, of A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), successfully piloted a Bill to correct this but President Donald Ramotar has not assented to it. The Administration has said that the Bill is unconstitutional.
Under that 2003 law, a number of independent bodies including the Judiciary (Director of Public Prosecution and Supreme Court), Office of the Ombudsman, Parliament Office and the Office of the Auditor General, were placed under a different classification or schedule which requires them to present Government administrators with information on requests.
The situation may also be worrying for GECOM’s officials themselves, with Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, indicating Thursday that the release of monies for Local Government elections is now awaiting the passage of the National Budget.
While not worrying too much that the Budget can fall under the axe of the Opposition as had been the case for a number of projects and entities like the state-owned media, GECOM would be mindful that the Opposition and others, including the diplomatic community, have been clamoring for early elections with tentative dates like August 1st being thrown out.
While not saying much of that controversial 2003 law, the Chairman during a press conference to introduce new Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, said that that effectively, overnight, changed the GECOM into a budget agency.
But that is not stopping GECOM from proceeding with its work. Demarcation of voting districts is almost completed with sensitization of the process also started.
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