GECOM Chair must address modalities

Apr 19, 2020 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

I applaud your reporter, Kemol King’s headline news, KN April 18 for pointing out the ambiguity and lack of modalities on the recount announced by the Chair, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh.
One must not be impatient. The Chair will do the right thing. I also refer to GHK Lall (Apr 18) that “there is neither honor nor dignity in being chair of Gecom”.
With a recount, Claudette Singh has made up for early stumble over the two fraudulent counts of Mingo and the muted declaration by Lowenfield.
Unanswered questions posed to Claudette Singh create uncertainties in the minds of the population and need to be urgently addressed to bolster confidence in the recount process. Nevertheless, it must not go unnoticed that Madam Chair has honored her judicial commitment to a recount.
The Chair has won praise for agreeing to the recount as signed between President Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.
In so doing, she has shown her respect for law and order and support for democratic values.
The recount also answers calls of the international community, as well as domestic forces, to bring closure to the election impasse with a declaration of the real winner.
The announcement is applauded by the world but the modalities need to be addressed.
The Chair is on the right path and must be saluted for her action.
While the nation has been traumatized since March 2nd not knowing what to expect from GECOM, and the government’s response to the crisis and how to deal with the corona pandemic, the announcement of the Chair hopefully will bring closure to the election ordeal soon.
The Chair has a very heavy responsibility and decision she makes will be condemned by half the population.
As GHK Lall writes, she is in a no-win situation. She has to please both sides.
She is doing her best in very trying circumstances.
Given the danger in dealing with some nefarious characters around her, some of who will spare no chance in pushing agenda, she is doing her best.
It is understandable that she has to be hesitant in making decisions when life and limb was played out over the last two months. She stood up to what was wrong. It is noted that had it not been for her, the Mingo fraud would have been a done deal.
Had she not been strong enough, the swearing in of an illegal President would have been completed.
Claudette Singh has to work within limitation. Activists and politicians need to understand this fact. Claudette Singh took a middle course, a median path.
She must and will follow the law regardless of which sides feel hurt.
Claudette Singh seems very ‘calculating’ and deliberative in her response to opposing demands. Some Guyanese I spoke with says she comes across as gentle, calm, and not arrogant.
She listens to the voices of the various sides in a very modest manner.
She is very studious of the three proposals on the recount.
She wisely has taken a middle path between two opposing sides that have their own agendas.
It should be noted that so far, the Chair has not violated any laws or engaged herself in rigging of the count.
And she does not arrogate onto herself powers even though she is given a lot of powers under the Constitution.
For example, she does not need to seek permission from the PM on COVID-19 restrictions.
She performs an essential service; she could have bypassed him and proceed to issue orders on social distancing on the recount.
Out of respect, she consulted with the PM who heads the Task Force on COVID protocols.
Guyanese in the Diaspora and at home as well as the international community would like to see the process completed expeditiously and transparently.
Further delays would have been worrisome; we need to get the process going.
Guyanese and the world now look forward to a truly open and transparent recount — qualities that are necessary to remove doubts of which party won the elections.
I am confident that both President David Granger and Opposition Leader, BharratJagdeo, would accept the outcome of an untampered recount.
Then GECOM can proceed to validate the results and swear in the President so he can proceed to form the government.
Thank you, Madam Chair, for attempting to put an end to the impasse.
People feel they can trust her with the recount. Once it gets underway it will reduce uncertainty about the outcome.
But she needs to address the modalities of the recount and make an announcement on Monday – specific number of stations, start date, how it will be done, excluding controversial characters, streaming live, observers, etc.
It is high time that Claudette Singh comes out with the modalities.
She has the decision-making authority, and exercised it on Friday like an ‘Iron Lady’ to a divided commission.
Another communiqué must address the points raised by Kemol King that will remove any uncertainty on the recount. Once she put in place the modalities and recount gets under way, her approval rating will shoot up once.
More importantly, her action will further help to consolidate the foundation of our democracy

Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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