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Local Govt. Elections… Civic and Voter Education no problem for GECOM
By Keeran Danny
“Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is absolutely confident that its Civic and Voter Education will serve to adequately educate all concerned about every aspect of Local Government Elections and how the elections affect or can be affected by all stakeholders.”
This notion was expressed by Vishnu Persaud, Public Relations Officer of GECOM, during an interview with this publication yesterday. He was at the time responding to queries about the Commission’s ability to host Local Government Elections, with the electorate being exposed to relevant voter education.
According to Persaud, GECOM had embarked on a comprehensive public education campaign in 2010, when the Commission had been earnestly engaged in preparations for the conduct of Local Government Elections, which were called off. Thereafter, the focus shifted to the General and Regional Elections 2011, he added.
The Public Relations Officer noted that in 2013, GECOM engaged in several public education activities targeting Local Government Elections. These included live panel discussions on television; repetition of the said panel discussions and publication via all television stations; production and publication of four pertinent infomercials via the electronic media; and the publication of 100,000 copies of a brochure for distribution within all of the 71 Local Authority Areas.
“Please note that funds which would allow for the conduct of a fully-fledged public education programme for Local Government Elections are tied to “Programme II”, which can only be activated if and when such elections were to materialize,” he explained.
He emphasized that GECOM is in possession of a work plan which indicates that approximately six months would be required for the conduct of such elections. GECOM would have to be officially informed, no later than the second half of June 2014, that Local Government Elections would be held this year.
Persaud related that GECOM has been using limited funds provided for routine public education purposes to include the dissemination of information about Local Government Elections.
According to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker at a recent press conference, the Ministry has to step up its efforts in the area of voter education to facilitate the conducting of Local Government Elections. However, the Ministry and Government are not unaware of the works of GECOM.
Whittaker emphasized that the hosting of elections is an investment of time and money, thus it must be ascertained that all concerned are ready for it.
“You do not go into an election unless there is adequate preparedness of stakeholders.”
The stakeholders of whom he spoke are not political parties but voters, particularly first-time voters.
He pointed out that the last Local Government Elections was held in 1994, two years after the General Elections, but only about 34 percent of the eligible electorates voted.
Meanwhile, Government’s talks of voter education are being viewed as excuses. A Partnership for National Unity parliamentarian Ronald Bulkan said that the Local Authority Elections Act came into being in 2009, giving life to the new voting arrangements.
He opined that from 2009 to date is sufficient time to have prepared voters with the requisite knowledge. He stressed that the law does not speak of preparedness and questioned whether the Minister is a “magician” to know voters are not prepared for the long overdue elections.
He reckoned that this is another cat-and-mouse game concocted by Government to delay the hosting of the elections. He believes the Minister’s excuse is insulting to the public, who should to be treated with respect.
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