Justice Claudette Singh must be commended for doing the right thing

Aug 29, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

The Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, must be commended for doing the right thing, namely, to bring an end to the house-to-house registration which was unilaterally taken by the previous GECOM Chair.
The decision to halt the house-to-house registration on August 31st is a step in the right direction and signals a new dispensation in the decision-making process at GECOM, which in the past months was not only adversarial, but highly skewed in favour of the Executive.
In so doing, she has already signalled GECOM’s readiness to hold elections within the shortest possible time. It is now for her to formally indicate that information to President David Granger to allow him to announce a date for elections.
My only concern is the decision taken to merge the data obtained from the house-to-house registration exercise with that of the existing National Register of Registrants. This will only serve to complicate the verification process, given the fact that the main opposition party, the PPP, was not involved in the registration process.
One possible way out is for the two sets of data to be disaggregated and an immediate verification process put in place involving both the PPP/C and APNU-AFC. This could form the basis for the statutory Claims and Objections exercise, which should be completed no later than the end of September to facilitate credible elections in October.
Time is of the essence. I am certain this fact is fully appreciated by the GECOM Chairman and all those who cherish the ideals of a law-governed society.
Hydar Ally

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