Private Sector, Diplomatic Corps granted observer status for LGE

Mar 05, 2016 News

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By Kiana Wilburg
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) has been granted Observer Status by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE) on March 18.

It will be accompanied by the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom and Canada, which have also been granted Observer status.
This was revealed during a press conference, yesterday, held by the Commission and members of the Diplomatic Corps at the PSC headquarters, on Waterloo Street.
Speaking to members of the media, PSC Chairman, Norman Mc Lean, said that the Private Sector, in its quest for the maintenance of good governance in Guyana, has consistently been proactive in supporting the conduct of free, fair and peaceful elections.
In this regard, Mc Lean emphasized that the Commission would be willing to lend its support to the relevant authorities.
He recalled that the Local Government Elections, which are being held for the first time since 1994, present the opportunity for the will of the people to be exercised in ensuring the election of stable, properly functioning local government organs and systems.
The Chairman noted that the PSC is however concerned that there may be a tendency for citizens, who are unaccustomed to having a voice in the election of their local government officials, to place a low premium on the value of their votes.
He said that the danger exists that these persons may stay away from the polls on March 18. In this regard, he said that the Commission would like, therefore, to call for the full participation of all Guyanese in the electoral process and to urge every citizen to go out and cast their vote.
Mc Lean said that the casting of votes in the 2016 Local Government Election is the right of each and every eligible Guyanese. He said that the right, moreover, is no longer being denied.
As such, it is incumbent upon everyone to exercise their constitutional right to vote for the candidates of their choice.
British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, noted that United Kingdom will also have observers for the elections. He recalled that his predecessors have been calling for the holding of Local Government Elections for some time and is therefore happy that it will be taking place.
The diplomat reiterated that it is now incumbent on the people go out and exercise their democratic mandate. He said that this is the time for people to be able to exercise their power so that they can choose those persons who are fit to properly address their concerns.
The Ambassador said that he is urging all Guyanese to exercise their right so that they can be properly represented at this level after some 23 years. Quinn noted however, that at this point in time, he would be unable to say how many observers the UK would have on the ground.
He said that focus would be on the Georgetown area based on logistics.
Deputy Head of Mission at the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt, said that Local Government Elections will be critical to the people of Guyana. Hunt said that it is the first line of defense in any democracy and the citizenry has waited for more than two decades for it to take place.
The envoy revealed that the USA would have just over 70 observers.
He said that they will have observers in almost every region where voting will be taking place and looks forward to a large turnout come March 18.
Charge d’ Affaires of the Canadian High Commission. Daniel Joly, also spoke to the importance of Local Government Elections. Like Quinn, Jolie was also unsure about how many observers from Canada would be working come March 18.
Mr Mc Lean said that while GECOM did a commendable job on educating the public on LGE, more could have been done.
But Hunt intervened at this point, stating that it may be easy for someone to say it is GECOM’s responsibility to inform the citizenry. He said however that the responsibility is one that should be shared.
The USA Deputy Head said that GECOM does not and should not bear the sole responsibility for education on LGE. He said that some of the burden also falls at the feet of the political parties, the candidates running for the positions and even the media.
Quinn said that it is not constructive or helpful for anyone to spend too much time criticizing GECOM and agreed with Hunt that everyone has a role to play in the education process.
The British envoy also said that these elections are important because there have been people who have been sitting on councils and not necessarily representing the will of the people. The Ambassador said that this is an opportunity for them to put in place; persons they feel will actually work for the communities.
The PSC noted that there would be a total of 500 observers between the Commission and the Diplomatic Community.
It also noted that it has been invited to observe the LGE debates between the candidates which will be held at the Theatre Guild this weekend.

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