Youths must be involved in electoral, political processes

Mar 13, 2015 News

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– GECOM Chairman
Despite facing severe criticism from at least one political party, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has made clear that it will remain committed to working along with external agencies to encourage youth participation and promote

voter education at the upcoming elections.
In fact, the commission’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, has highlighted the involvement of youths in the political and electoral process in Guyana as necessary; a belief he claims is also held in esteemed by most political parties.
Surujbally made these statements at the opening ceremony of a sensitization meeting held at the GECOM Head Office on Wednesday, last. It was then too that he announced April 7 as Nomination Day.
Focusing on GECOM’s approach to youth, Surujbally drew comparisons to other parts of the world where youths are forced to vote.
“All over the world the youth tend to divorce themselves from the political process, in countries where voting is compulsory, even in those countries where there are heavy rules and fines the youths still abstain.”
The GECOM Head pointed out that in one particular country the youths have challenged that law that says they must vote.
“They said that the overriding law is the constitution and the constitution gives them the right to choose and they are choosing not to vote, and there is a court case going on now as I speak.”
This response follows criticism from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which says that the Commission is overstepping its authority by collaborating with the recently-formed Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC).
The criticism aimed at the youth group was made by the party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee, during a recent press briefing at Freedom House.
Rohee criticised the GNYC for being a “self-anointed” authority on representing Guyana’s youth. He further described the Council as “a creature of external interference, through the (Leadership and Democracy) LEAD Project and nothing more than a group of partisan persons who are attempting to hijack the name Guyana National Youth Council.”
The LEAD project is an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which focused on the capacity of Guyana’s Parliament, young people, women and Local Government Elections.
Glen Bradbury (USAID), Chief of Party for the LEAD project, was part of the contingent involved in negotiation talks between GNYC and GECOM. Due to his involvement, the PPP purportedly raised “concerns” over the collaboration.
According to Rohee, as far as the PPP is aware, GECOM’s involvement with what he deemed a “partisan body of youths” needed to be decided by GECOM’s Commissioners. Rohee further stated that the Commission was overstepping its authority, as the matter was never discussed at the Commission level.
But on Wednesday, the GECOM Chairman told a room filled with representatives of at least 12 political parties, “We’re saying that we will do everything to get the youths involved in the electoral processes, we do not approach the youths or individual groups, they approach us and we are very clear that our involvement is limited to the provision of information for dissemination.”
He went on to say “So when you come and you change words to say endorse, suddenly involvement becomes endorsement, and I am saying GECOM will not at any point endorse any external organisation.”
“When we give information, GECOM is saying you must use it as is and of course GECOM will not be providing any financial support,” he ended.
Recently too, GNYC asserted that the body’s collaborative efforts with GECOM are solely aimed at increasing voter education and turnout amongst Guyana’s youth population in a non-partisan manner.
GNYC trustee member, Tiffany Daniels, had refuted claims that the Council is working in a partisan capacity for elections. She clarified that GNYC’s involvement with GECOM focuses on engaging youth in a non-partisan way.
Daniels explained that the Council’s participation in this year’s elections “has nothing to do with partisanship”. She said that USAID was part of the formal proposal process which the Commission deemed acceptable.
According to Daniels, the Council is focusing on the education and distribution of basic electoral information to Guyana’s youth population.
To make this possible GNYC has announced its voter education campaign – ‘Vote Like A Boss’. That campaign will be launched on March 21.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Guyana’s youth make up over 60 percent of the country’s population, while data from various countries suggests that youth participation in elections is less when compared with older citizens.
In 59 days, Guyanese will head to the polls to elect national leaders. GECOM has since revealed that the current Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) stands at 567,125.

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