Be polite, do not attack GECOM enumerators- Jagdeo

Be polite, do not attack GECOM enumerators– Jagdeo

Aug 01, 2019 News

Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, is appealing to Guyanese for them to be polite, and not target the enumerators of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
“I want to urge Guyanese not to target the enumerators. A lot of them are professional… these people are doing this for a pay. You can treat them politely by saying, ‘I am not registering,’” said the Opposition Leader yesterday at the office’s Church Street office.
These requests from Jadgeo arise after it was reported that a number of home owners let their dogs loose when the GECOM field staff came calling to their houses.
GECOM staffers themselves complained that in some areas, more than 25 percent of homes were not cooperating. Over 50,000 persons have registered over the past week.
Jagdeo, who believes that the house-to-house registration process is illegal, went on to say that the government should suspend the registration process and compensate the enumerators for their services.
“Give them a month or two salaries, but suspend the activity,” Jagdeo noted.
Recently, there were claims circulating, which stated that GECOM staff members were not going to be compensated for their services because the registration exercise was “illegal”.
GECOM’S Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, made it clear that staff members and enumerators will be paid as monies have been budgeted for house-to-house registrations.
This statement was made at the swearing in of Justice Claudette Singh, who is the new GECOM chair.
He further insisted that prospective registrants are legal. On the issue of house-to-house registration, the CEO said he will await directions from the newly constitution commission.
Government said that the current voters’ list is expired and needs updating with thousands of persons who have died still being on it. Thousands of first time voters are also not on it. However, the Opposition said that a simple claims and objections period can fix the issues.

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