PNCR says “mass” protest for biometrics still on the cards

Last Updated on Saturday, 22 February 2025, 15:40 by Writer

Insisting that there was no need to submit claims and objections to people’s names being on the voters list to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) on Friday did not rule out escalating protests to pressure authorities to implement digitalized fingerprints for registration and verification at polling stations.

“In respect of having the party lead mass demonstrations, it’s not off the cards. We intend on taking every possible action to ensure that the list is clean, is sanitised and to ensure that we have biometrics at the next elections,” PNCR General Secretary, Sherwin Benjamin told a news c0nference.

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has consistently maintained that there must be large-scale protests to pressure GECOM and the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led administration into giving into opposition demands for digitalised biometrics to prevent multiple voting and voter impersonation because the voters list is almost as large as Guyana’s population.

Mr Benjamin cautiously indicated that the WPA might have submitted a strategy paper on effective protests to the PNCR.

GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice Claudette Singh has in recent weeks said the commission could legally introduce digitalised biometrics but it could not be d0ne for the 2025 general elections because of the time it would take to hire an expert, consult with stakeholders, procure and deploy equipment, train staff and sensitise the public. Ms Singh has also ruled out a digital biometric system being used exclusively as that would be unconstitutional.

The PNCR has been barely attracting 15 or less persons on the picket line outside GECOM every Tuesday even after the GECOM Chairman ruled out digitalised biometrics for this year’s general and regional elections. Asked whether the PNCR believed that Guyanese cared sufficiently about concerns about the voters list, PNCR Executive Member, Ganesh Mahipaul said people were concerned about the state of the list and were in contact with the party but “the persons that you see out there advocating are the bold ones.”

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton is on record as expressing concern about the likely adverse impact that protests could have on his party if Indo-Guyanese are affected. His party is largely supported by Afro-Guyanese.

The PNCR has refused to submit claims and objections to GECOM, saying that such data could be used against it by the PPP though the evidence is plain to see that the list is bloated and could not be used to deliver credible results. Quizzed on why the PNCR did not provide proof to support its claims that Venezuelans were being registered and added to the voters list, the party’s General Secretary said, “we are preparing d0cuments to make those objections and at the appropriate time those actions will be taken.”

Mr Mahipaul said if the opposition was confident of winning the elections even with the existing voters roll, party executive member Ganesh Mahipaul said, “we will win the next elections. There is no doubt about that. The country is right now fed up with the People’s Progressive Party and how they are administering the governance of the country,” he added.

He said the PPP engineered the rigging of the elections ever since the law allowed for Justices of the Peace to state that persons are Guyanese.

The PPP and GECOM believe that there are sufficient safeguards at polling stations as well as counting of the votes at the place of poll and posting of statements of poll, which are signed by party representatives and GECOM officials, on polling stations.