There needs to be a Commission of Inquiry into what took place during the elections

Jun 03, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

A deep probe, a Commission of Inquiry (COI), is required on the fraud that complicit GECOM officials and persons from the PNC/AFC and police force attempted to unleash on our young nation, one that citizens can point to in years and decades ahead. It should capture all matters leading up to, during and post-election.
From a personal perspective, mental fatigue/torture over what the PNC/AFC in collusion with GECOM officials did to me over the 5-month period (March to July 2020 inclusive) cannot be put into words. I still cannot comprehend how so called independent and intellectual persons turned a blind eye while the miscreants in GECOM and APNU+AFC personnel blatantly trampled on the most basic and fundamental right of our citizens.
The constitutional and statutory office holders, along with other low to high-level operatives who provided the necessary support to effectuate the fraud, must be held to account. Some police officers, I presume under the direction of others, were blatantly flouting the law as the machinery to subvert the will of the people was in full swing. Simply put, who had the authority to instruct the police to remove Commissioner(s) from the GECOM Headquarters? The Police Force must be made a party to the COI. Too many questions on roles, responsibilities, complicity, crowd management and press security.
The Commissioners for the COI must be foreigners of international repute and of course qualified in law on election matters – foreigners are required to remove perceived political bias. The terms of reference for the COI must be clearly set out to ensure the Statutory, Commissioners and other staff at GECOM along with the obliging members of the Police Force where applicable to present themselves for questioning at the Commission.
Parties not testifying before the Commission do not absolve or remove their culpability. The Terms for the COI must capture and give the Commissioners the requisite latitude to pronounce on those who do not report to the Commission when requested to be present.
I am of the strong opinion that the COI can lay the groundwork and provide recommendations on lawsuits for negligence/dereliction of duties and additional charges for criminal conduct where applicable. The COI will also provide guidance on the strengthening of laws, loopholes, etc. to remove the potential for this to recur. The current status quo is a recipe for similar action for any further elections.
On a separate note, what is the justification to continue to spend billions of taxpayers’ dollars on such a nefarious body with a proven record of abysmal failure? Let us put this in context – imagine the Statutory body responsible for the conduct of a job is paid for the job, carries out the job then says it was not done correctly and is still currently being paid by the employer. What part of the world does this happen? Is GECOM accountable to the people of Guyana?
Yours truly,
Andrew Budhram

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There needs to be a Commission of Inquiry into what took place during the elections

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