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C/wealth Secretariat talks tough with GECOM
– severe punitive measures for media houses, faster results urged
The Commonwealth Secretariat has urged severe punitive measures for offending media houses and for clarity, an official position on candidates being allowed entry to polling stations in future elections.
GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally with Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma.
The recommendations of the Secretariat’s Elections Observer Mission report, recently released, were discussed Sunday when visiting Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, met with the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally.
According to GECOM, the meeting was to discuss a number of important issues regarding the recently conducted 2015 General and Regional Elections.
The coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) was declared victor, but there have been questions about the declarations with the Opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, filing a court action seeking a recount of the votes.
In echoing the observations made by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Elections Observer Mission, that the 2015 General and Regional Elections were conducted in a credible manner, Sharma engaged the GECOM Chairman in discussing a few recommendations that could help in future elections.
“One key area of discussion centered on the multi-step system currently employed by GECOM for the transmission of election results. Both gentlemen agreed that this system is loaded with all sorts of delays which can likely result in a number of unintended consequences inimical to the maintenance of peace and preservation of the good order of society,” the Commission said of Sunday’s meeting.
Moving forward, GECOM could try to reduce the many steps currently used to transmit elections results while still maintaining unmitigated transparency.
Other important recommendations addressed in the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Final Report on the 2015 General and Regional Elections, were the need to utilize more buildings as polling stations that are properly equipped to facilitate persons living with physical disabilities.
“Further, there was the issue of allowing election candidates and cabinet members to enter Polling Stations as political party agents.”
This practice, the Commonwealth Secretariat recommended, should be revised and further clarified, so as to avoid unnecessary confusion among electors on Polling Day.
On May 11, there was a huge commotion at St. Sidwell’s Primary School, after PPP candidate Kwame McCoy entered the polling station but was prevented from leaving the location. His presence had sparked debate over the presence of candidates and other officials in the stations when votes are being cast.
With regard to the functioning of the local media during the elections period, it was recommended that the signed Media Code of Conduct be accompanied by severe punitive measures for offenders, so as to dissuade other potential violators.
“Also, that the state-owned media must provide equitable coverage of all political parties and move away from the temptation to provide unfettered access to one party only.”
The state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) and Government Information Agency (GINA) were accused of heavy bias during the elections.
GECOM yesterday said it remains cognizant of the important role of the Commonwealth Secretariat during Guyana’s electoral period and looks forward to more of the same professional and objective engagements with the Secretariat in the future.
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