Selection of GECOM Chair... Jagdeo highlights Pres. Granger’s stalling tactics

Selection of GECOM Chair… Jagdeo highlights Pres. Granger’s stalling tactics

Jul 16, 2019 News

On July 12, last, the Chief Whip of the Opposition, Gail Teixeira wrote to President David Granger indicating that the Leader of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo, is willing to meet throughout the weekend of July 13-14 to work on a list of names for consideration for the post of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

Up to yesterday, Jagdeo said he is still to receive a reply from the Government. The PPP General Secretary expressed disappointment that the weekend was wasted.
He also questioned the President’s sincerity in treating with the appointment of a next GECOM Chair in an urgent fashion. Jagdeo reminded as well that it was Granger who told the nation that he is prepared to treat with the appointment swiftly.
Further to this, the Opposition Leader said that after a week of talks, he is still unclear on whether the President finds favour with any of his nominees for the vacant post. His nominees include environmentalist Annette Arjoon-Martins; B S Roy (retired Justice of Appeal), businessman Gerry Gouveia; Joseph Singh (Retired Major General and former GECOM Chairman), attorney-at-law Kashir Khan; former magistrate Krisnadatt Persaud; Lawrence Lachmansingh; Norman McLean (Retired Major

President, David Granger

General); Onesi La Fleur, private sector executive Ramesh Dookhoo and retired Puisne Judge William Ramlall.
Questioned by this news agency to say if any of Granger’s nominees will make it on the final list, Jagdeo said that he will have to examine whether those names are acceptable to him and then make a decision.
The eight names recommended for the post by Granger are former GECOM Chair, Justice (retired) James Patterson; Kesaundra Alves, a lawyer who is the Chair for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation; businessman and former parliamentarian, Kads Khan; former executive of the People’s National Congress Reform, Stanley Ming; Justices (ret’d) Claudette La Bennett and Stanley Moore; former Solicitor-General, Kim Kyte and Dr. Aubrey Armstrong, an economist.