Latest update December 17th, 2024 3:02 AM
Political forces must tone down pressure, allow Commission to do its work – WPA
Now that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has Justice Claudette Singh as its new Chairperson, the political parties of the day must tone down the pressure and allow the body to do its work. This was noted by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) yesterday in a statement to the press.
In that missive, the WPA stressed that GECOM should not be the arena for settling political scores. The Party insisted that compromise and consensus should drive deliberations and decision-making. It emphasized that that Guyana can ill-afford a dysfunctional elections body at a time when the stakes are very high.
As it welcomes the new GECOM chair, the WPA said it is clear that her tenure would not be an easy one.
It said, “With no known affiliation, she begins her job with some needed capital. She will be overseeing an election which from all indications would be keenly fought. The WPA hopes that in the final analysis, her stewardship would take the Commission further along the road of impartiality. Because she holds the casting vote in an institution that reflects the political divide, she has the dual role of leader and mediator.”
Further to this, the WPA noted that Justice Singh’s first task would have to do with the contentious issue of what to do with the Voters List.
The Party said, “She takes up office in the middle of a fierce debate over the House-to-House registration which was ordered by her predecessor. There would obviously be enormous pressure on her to discontinue that exercise. But she must withstand those pressures. The WPA hopes her decisions would be guided by the Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ) doctrine of marrying principle with practicality.”
The WPA also lauded the two principal leaders, being Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo and President, David Granger, on doing what the Constitution and the CCJ required of them, which was to arrive at an outcome through a process of cooperation and consensus. That they arrived at this consensus without any overt external intervention is an indication that Guyanese are capable of solving their problems on their own, the WPA said. The coalition partner said too that this needs to become the rule rather than the exception.
Further, the WPA said it is not blind to the fact that given the underlying distrust between the two major political forces, consensus is not automatic.
It said, “But we believe that more could be done in this area if the leaders recognize the enormous responsibilities that are placed on their shoulders. We hope that this decision is a signal that hyper-partisanship is giving way to political maturity. There are more challenges to navigate as the country moves towards the most important election since 1953.”
Furthermore, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) criticized sections of the civil society elite and the media for encouraging the Opposition Leader to ignore the recommendation of the CCJ in Granger having a role in the selection process for the new GECOM Chair.
The Party believes that this was unhelpful and may have been partly responsible for the gridlock over the last few weeks. The WPA said it respects the right of all organizations to speak up on national political issues but thinks that civil society organizations and individuals should also serve as mediators. It said that the display of partisanship and their stance against cooperation and consensus were not their most shining moments.
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