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GECOM to continue discussions on introducing biometrics before engaging stakeholders
Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh. (introducing biometrics )
Kaieteur News- The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Friday said that discussions will continue on the feasibility study on the use of biometrics before engaging stakeholders. This was revealed by Chairperson of the Commission, Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh who told reporters at a press conference.
Singh told reporters given the motion put to have the use of biometrics introduced by the Commission, a decision was taken to conduct a study on the feasibility of “electronic finger print capture during registration and biometric fingerprint identification of voters at polling stations.”
“The feasibility study was done and submitted to the Commission. During the discussion on the feasibility study which were held on the 12th and 14th of November, Commissioners were unable to agree on how this discussion should proceed,” Singh said.
The first view expressed was that stakeholder consultation was necessary before the Commission could engage in full discussions on the matter as the views of the stakeholders needed to be taken into consideration.
A second view expressed was that there could have been the commencement of discussions while engagements could have been held simultaneously with the stakeholders and their feedback could be considered in the Commission’s discussions.
The GECOM Chair said that, “A third view was that the Commission needs to discuss the matter first before stakeholders could be consulted. In this latitude, it was also mentioned that the issue of whether and how stakeholders are to be consulted would be a matter that would be addressed when the commission discusses the study.”
Singh said that, “So having listened from the submissions from the Commissioners who are equally divided about how to proceed with the matter, and based on my own examination of the feasibility study, I took the decision that it is important for GECOM to have an understanding of, and a position on its capability to introduce the system, before going to the stakeholders, because absence of an understanding, and position will leave the GECOM to appearing unprepared, uninformed and unable to address this highly sensitive matter.”
Furthermore, the GECOM Chair said that she arrived at the decision that the Commission should first discuss the report on the feasibility study in an effort to answer the question of “whether such a system could be introduced”. She said, after this discussion, GECOM would hold consultations with stakeholders on whether such a system should be introduced.
“Discussions on the feasibility study will resume at the next statutory meeting of the Commission… So that is where we are despite what you are hearing in the media,” Justice Singh said.
The political opposition has been calling for the introduction of biometrics ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Election to prevent voter impersonation and to ensure a clean voters’ list.
Kaieteur News reported on November 8, 2024 that the Government of Guyana is not opposed to the use of a biometric system for the country’s General and Regional Elections but wants to ensure that the system does not disenfranchise voters.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), at a recent press conference said, “We don’t have an objection to any system, biometric or not that will seek to ensure that the people who vote are the people who are eligible to vote… when I talk about biometric, I talk about enhancement; when they [the opposition] talk about biometric, they talk about disruption.”
The Vice President said too that the government is in favour of having a clean voters’ list and any system that doesn’t disrupt voters.
“If you look at the flaws of the last elections, it has little to do with the system …It was not systemic but it was people driven…” Jagdeo asserted.
However, the Vice President said at the end of it all, the decision must be taken by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as it relates to which system is most suitable for the elections.
(GECOM to continue discussions on introducing biometrics before engaging stakeholders)
(introducing biometrics)
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