Latest update October 30th, 2024 1:00 AM
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GECOM’s budget makes no provision for biometric equipment
Kaieteur News – Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira told the National Assembly on Monday that although the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been allocated $3.5 billion from this year’s budget, there was no allocation for the procurement of biometric equipment.
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira
When questioned about the specifics for spending by Opposition Member of Parliament, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, the Minister noted that Budget 2024 does not cater for the implementation of such a system.
“There is no allocation for the procurement of biometric equipment since the Commission has not made any decision on whether it will use biometrics- be it fingerprint scanning or otherwise- in local elections as yet,” she explained.
Teixeira made it clear that GECOM is an independent body and therefore, only it can make such a policy decision. She noted however, that should GECOM decide to implement such a policy, then recourse for additional funds can be made via a supplementary request.
The issue of biometrics has long been a source of contention. Following the March 2020 Elections, Opposition-nominated Elections Commissioner, Vincent Alexander had tabled a motion at the Commission calling for the consideration of biometrics. He is adamant that such a system at places of poll could bolster the process of identifying voters.
The biometric technology would assist in ensuring that all persons who cast a ballot during elections do not do so in the name of deceased persons, migrants and other absent individuals.
He said that the matter would address the issue of the names of dead persons being on the voters list. Double voting and ghost voting have been contentious issues given the difficulty in removing the names of deceased persons whose deaths have not been registered. The claims of ghost voting were even more pronounced, especially by the Opposition party following the contentious 2020 elections.
The APNU+AFC had argued strongly that the voter’s list is bloated with the names of deceased persons as those unregistered deaths remained on the National Register of Registrants, from where the voter’s list is deduced. This situation causes irregularities when persons illegally access the identification cards of deceased persons and vote in their names. Alexander told the newspaper that the biometric system will be part of the suggestions being offered in relation to the election law reform. “Our proposal was not on the substance. It was more on the procedure, but I am pushing the biometric idea,” the Commissioner had highlighted.
However, Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo had subsequently spoken out against this proposed system. According to him, such a system could prevent people from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
“We will not support the use of biometrics as a restriction on people’s right to vote,” Jagdeo said.
Later the Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (reti
red) Claudette Singh, said the introduction of biometrics would require constitutional reform. Justice Singh had said that GECOM does not have the “legal parameters to do this.”
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