“I don’t vote with the PPP” – GECOM Chairman

Last Updated on Friday, 22 November 2024, 23:40 by Writer

GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward; Legal Officer, Mr Kurt Da Silva; Chairman Retired Justice Claudette Singh; Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud, and Deputy Chief Election Officer Aneal Giddings.

The chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (ret’d) Claudette Singh, denies any personal political bias in the face of growing opposition calls for her to resign because she allegedly votes with the three People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-aligned election commissioners.

“There is an accusation that I’m always voting with the PPP. I make my own decision,” she told a rare news conference by the election management body.

The People’s National Congress Reform, Alliance For Change and Working People’s Alliance have been ratcheting up calls for Ms Singh to leave the job because she almost always votes with the PPP-nominated commissioners to make important decisions including the appointment of persons to senior positions such as the Chief Election Officer, Deputy Chief Election Officer, Civic and Voter Education Mansger and Logistics Manager. Responding to demands for her to vacate office, she said, “I don’t know about resigning. I mean when I want to resign, I’ll resign.”

Justice Singh said there are three commissioners on each side with her legally empowered to exercise her casting vote. “So what do I do when they’re tied. I have the casting vote. I make up my own decision. It’s not that I am voting with the PPP,” she said.

The GECOM Chairman justified her decision to pick Mr Vishnu Persaud for the post of Chief Election Officer “because of his proven experience garnered from his previous employment” backed up by a strong recommendation by former GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally. She said the other candidate had no experience in elections under the proportional representation system. Explaining the rationale for favouring Mr Aneal Giddings as Deputy Chief Election Officer, she said “he was the only person I found to have the necessary experience for the position and who could have hit the ground running and that was my decision and if the PPP supported him, well that’s how it is.”

Justice Singh said Ms Beverly Critchlow was appointed Assistant Chief Election Officer because of her experience. Ms Wendy Marshall was picked for the post of Voter Registration Manager, after examining the curriculum vitae of the other applicants. “That was my decision not to even interview as she was the only person who had the necessary experience and hands-on approach,” Ms Singh said. Ms Melanie Marshall, who had been rejected in 2023 by the PPP because she could not have been located in 2020 when they were applying for a recount, did not object to her and accepted her nomination as Voter Registration Manager.

The Civic and Voter Education Manager position was given to veteran educator Nardeo Persaud because he had extensive teaching experience in contrast to incumbent Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward. “Both of them answered the questions and both had experience but that position asked for teaching experience and I felt that Nardeo had the edge because, with his 30 years of experience in teaching, and several years of training GECOM staff,” she said. Mr Delon Clarke was chosen over former Logistics Officer Colin April because he efficiently and effectively made alternative arrangements as a result of an accident involving a convoy of lorries that was transporting polling day necessities for the 2023 Local Government Elections.