A pathetic display by GECOM Chair at the Commission of Inquiry

Dec 23, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

The testimonies by several individuals at the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the August 2020 elections revealed that a sinister scheme was afoot to derail the election results with the view to allow the APNU+AFC Coalition to remain in power with a prolonged litigation which lasted for five months.

For many, especially members of the PPP/C, it was the longest wait in the history of Guyana for the declaration of election results. During this period, Guyana and Guyanese became the laughing stock of the Caribbean. As I gleaned through the various testimonies of the Commission of Inquiry, most of the narration surrounding the fiasco at Ashmins building revolved around the Returning Officer of Region 4, Mr. Clairmont Mingo who used his own spread sheet instead of the tabulated results of the Statements of Poll (SOP) in Region 4 to declare the results. Despite several warnings by various individuals, including the Ambassador of the United States, and the High Commissioners of Britain and Canada, Mr. Mingo continued with his own concocted spread sheet and issued results that that were nowhere close to the SOPs. The truth is Mr. Mingo was bent on rigging the elections in favor of a APNU+AFC victory. He did not succeed.

So far, the testimonies of two persons, Rosalinda Rasul and Sasenarine Singh, who was assigned by the PPP/C to monitor the election results at the Ashmins building stand out in both clarity and content, notwithstanding other flawless testimonies from an array of election officials. But by far, the most bizarre, uncanny and horrifying testimony at the Commission of Inquiry came from the Chairperson of GECOM, Ms. Claudette Singh, a former high Court Judge.

On Thursday, December 9th, Ms. Singh appeared before the Commission of Inquiry established by President Dr. Irfaan Ali to determine what transpired during the five months when the Granger led Coalition attempted to openly rig the election in order to stay in power. Not only has the inept Granger Administration violated the Constitution, but they have also breached the trust of the people at a time when the nation was beginning to forget about the several years of rigged elections in the country by the Forbes Burnham regime. The five months following the election of March 2, 2020 was a sad and shameful period for the nation which since 1992 had prided itself on fair and free elections like its member states in CARICOM. However, it was clear that the unashamed, barefaced and reckless Granger regime did not care about the damage done to the country’s image abroad. All they were interested in is to stay in power.

Ms. Singh, who had reached the pinnacle of Jurisprudence in Guyana told the COI in some rather sketchy, cunning and eccentric details that on March 5, 2020, she locked herself in a room for several hours because she was scared of her life. In other words, instead of denouncing the bogus results issued by Mr. Mingo, Ms. Singh has not only abandoned her post as the Chair of GECOM, but she also deserted her staff who had looked up to her as the Leader of GECOM. They expected her to act decisively and openly condemned Mr. Mingo’s results and not to disappear from the scene. Many Observers viewed her as a very weak person and should have resigned as the Chair of GECOM immediately after the results from the recount were declared. Others are of the opinion that her vanishing act in times of crisis is circumspect and it clearly reveals her gross incompetency to lead such an independent body. And some are fearful that her evasive and devious behavior could be repeated in future elections if such a crisis situation should arise.

Justice Claudette Singh creepy remarks about her disappearance were so weird that one of the Commissioners of the COI, Justice Godfrey Smith described it as “odd” for her to abandon her post at a critical juncture during the elections. And for her to say that she couldn’t be bothered seems to many that she is unfit for the position as the Chair of GECOM which she now holds. If nothing else, Ms. Singh has discarded the sacred Oath of office to serve the nation without fear or favor. Given her dismal performance in her fading 80 odd years, the nation still awaits answers for her silly conduct and whether she would remain the Chair of GECOM for future elections.

Regards,

Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine