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Calls for public vetting of Elections Day staff not practical – GECOM
Officials of the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM) are unwavering in their stance that the
GECOM’s Chairman,
Dr. Steve Surujbally
organization will conduct elections with limited involvement of political parties as it relates to determining policies which govern the electoral process.
GECOM’s response follows repeated calls by the People’s Progressive Party PPP/C to allow public vetting of Election Day staff.
GECOM’s Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally noted that this will not happen since it is not practical to the interest of the Commission’s operations to publish the names of elections day staff for public scrutiny.
Dr. Surujbally further held that the Commission has guidelines in place to handle the recruitment process in a professional manner.
The Elections Commission Chairman, in reference to Article 161 (B) of the Constitution, said that political parties have limited power over the policies implemented to monitor an electoral process. Such decisions, Dr. Surujbally says lies solely in the hands of GECOM.
According to the Constitution, the role of political parties and their nominees in the conduct of elections by the Elections Commission shall be limited to their participation in determining policy, monitoring the electoral process and the conduct of the election, but does not include active management of the electoral process.
Recently the PPP/C General Secretary, Clement Rohee, based his call for the public vetting on the “fact” that the PPP has seen in 2011 the “unprofessional and biased acts by a few Presiding and Assistant Presiding Officers towards PPP supporters, Polling Agents and Candidates, especially in Georgetown.”
Rohee described the refusal by GECOM to publish the names of polling day staff as a “very sinister and undemocratic act against the Guyanese people.”
He said that as a significant impact on the transparency and integrity of the electoral process, hence, much emphasis must be placed on recruiting experienced, qualified and neutral persons to fill these positions through a transparent process.
The PPP/C General Secretary further held that a process that involves the electorate, through public vetting will only serve to boost confidence in the system.
Dr. Surujbally noted that it is “a worrisome thing,” that the PPP would call for public vetting of polling day staff since the Commission has received no official complaints or tangible evidence from any political party regarding misconduct of workers on elections day.
He added that it would be an unprecedented and uncalculated move by the Commission given that during the elections period, GECOM becomes the chief employer of thousands of persons. Dr. Surujbally said that arguably 90% of those who apply after “due process,” are employed by the Commission to fill temporary positions on elections day.
Meanwhile, GECOM’s Deputy Chief Elections Officer, (DCEO) Vishnu Persaud noted that public vetting has the potential of dissuading persons from working with GECOM, since the possibility exists that persons can be victimized in the wake of the elections.
He further explained that employment by the Commission follows adequate guidelines and best practices to ensure that the candidates with the desired knowledge, skills and experience are appointed to fill the various positions.
The DCEO said too, that certain things are taken into consideration before persons are employed. He explained that one such consideration is the address of the applicants, since persons are usually appointed to fill positions in their respective communities. This is to ensure that “we have right people in the right places, “Persaud said.
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