House-to-house registration postpone – GECOM

May 31, 2019 News

Staffers of the Guyana Elections Commission should not allow the chairman, Justice (ret’d) James Patterson, or the commissioners ap

PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo

pointed by the coalition, to bully or pressure them into starting House to House Registration, says People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo.
He said, during a press conference yesterday, that the exercise has been postponed by the commission.
The commission didn’t, in truth, make a decision to postpone the exercise. Commissioner Charles Corbin told Kaieteur News last Tuesday that there were some issues met by the secretariat as it related to procurement of materials. Corbin had said that those issues only caused a minor delay, but that preparations for the exercise are on track.
Jagdeo said, “At this point in time, we’re all awaiting the decision [by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)] on the No Confidence Cases. I’ve seen this expression of concern that it’s taking so long to come, especially in light of the fact that the CCJ was critical of the sloth in addressing this matter in Guyana. But nevertheless, we are awaiting that decision.”
The PPP General Secretary said that there is an “indecent push” by the commissioners appointed by the coalition, to start House to House registration, and that there is a campaign by the coalition to mislead people into thinking that if the exercise doesn’t occur, the list will not be clean or credible.
Because of this, he thinks that the secretariat’s technical staff “must be coming under a lot of pressure.”
“They have a responsibility to act consistent with the law. And they wouldn’t have the same sort of political backing. People would leave them in the lurch if anything ever goes wrong, as you saw with Excellence Dazzell [GECOM’s legal officer].”
Jagdeo said that, all along, she was doing a good job in everyone’s eyes, until she gave a legal opinion that was inconsistent with the views of the coalition appointed commissioners.
“Then suddenly,” Jagdeo said mockingly, “she has become another PPP sleeper cell.”
He referred to a comment made recently by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, that “sleepers exist in every ministry.”
“And so I just want to say to the technical staff of GECOM not to be bullied or pressured by the political commissioners and the chairman on [house to house registration] because, at the end of the day, they (the staffers) have a long term presence and career in GECOM.” Jagdeo said.

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