Why the strong hesitancy for the implementation of biometrics for all eligible voters

Sep 12, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Guyana is at a crossroad and some simple questions must be asked and should be given answers, truthful answers.

I therefore put the following questions which in my view is beyond party affiliation and partisan politics, this is about the future of the country.

I ask, why is the Chairman of GECOM afraid to do that which is required, to ensure the best efforts are put to provide for free and fair elections in Guyana?

After presiding over one of the most controversial and questionable elections result in the country’s history, not forgetting the diabolical act by Gocool Boodoo in the 2011 elections. The calls for a fresh voters list is a just call and they are based not just on allegations of fraud being made, but evidence of substantial and undeniable irregularities and electoral breaches that have called the veracity of the 2020 Regional and National elections into question.

Where else in this world, dead people were ‘allowed’ to vote in an election, where in the world, people out of the country’s jurisdiction at the time of an election, were ‘allowed’ to vote and their votes were counted and validated as valid votes?

Where else in the world an Election Commission Chairman, who has admitted that grave irregularities were unearthed during an election recount process that her Commission over looked, would then advised that those said anomalies has to be addressed by an election petition and not by fresh elections?

Why is the Chairman of GECOM failing to do the right and sensible thing, to ensure that any elections thereafter, will be done with a fresh voters list, under an upgraded and tighten system, to stop or prevent as far as possible any such grave mishaps? Why aren’t those efforts being made to present results that are the reflection of the true will of the people, in a protected democratic process?

The Chairman of GECOM undoubtedly has the best opportunity to help Guyana have a truly democratic society and a government that reflects the will of the people. But when one ponders on the posture of the Chairman on matters of national importance, only she and her PPP counterparts in the Commission know what is right, the other members are always wrong on ever count. The latter most certainly tells the story of the PPP’s ‘One Guyana’.

The Chairman has the freedom, independence and resources at her disposal to fix the ills of GECOM, by putting the best systems in place to ensure free and fair elections becomes the order of the day in Guyana. An opportunity to make possible, far less room for objections to the outcome of any elections in the future.

Why then is there a strong hesitancy for the implementation of biometrics for all eligible voters, for house-to-house registration, for a new list, for a rigorous educational campaign from Gecom to be done months before an election to inform and educate all who are to be involved, of the process to participate and penalties one can face for any illegal acts.

The Chairman and her PPP counterparts in the Commission have done nothing to engender confidence in the public that can be tangibly identified as an improvement in Guyana’s electoral architecture from the 2020 experience. In fact, the Chairman and the PPP have voted against all proposed measures to improve the system, be it a new list, a competent CEO, and the review of the 2020 irregularities.

Isn’t it therefore a justifiable call for her to go? Yes it is!

Editor, why is the Chairman afraid to use her power to better serve the Commission and more importantly the people of this country?

Is the Chairman afraid of the PPP thugs kicking down her office door again? We need to know exactly why she continues to vote down all transformative proposals made to improvement the flawed system.

One just had to use the flood complementation exercise in regions 6,5 and 2, when supposed recipients turned up with multiple national identification cards (issued since 2009) to collect their cheques but used whichever one correlated with the Ministry of Agriculture’s data. This is what the Chairman is protecting when she votes against house-to-house registration, when she does nothing to improve the electoral system of the country.

Editor, Article 162 of the Constitution specifically says that GECOM is in charge and has power to exercise general directions and supervision over the registration of electors.

The question again is, why is the Chairman failing in her duty to act in the best interest of the people and country when the ball is in her court or allegedly in or court?

The time to act is now Judge, for you will be judged, one way or the other. Let you actions and judgement be on the side of the people, on the right side of history. This should not be about what the Government or a party wants, this is about Guyana. Madam Chairman You need to fix the broken GECOM, that you admitted is flawed.

Guyana and its people, deserve a clean voters list and every effort to ensure that the true will of people is the end result of a process that is free, fair and just. Why would the Chairman condone an election to be held with a bloated list but hope that the elections shall be deemed credible.?

The time has come, the time is now, for the Chairman of GECOM, to pack her bags and go, she has failed the people and continues to so do.

Yours respectfully,

Hon. Jermaine Figueira, MP

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