No GECOM word on APNU+AFC’s request for Information Technology Manager’s removal

Last Updated on Friday, 8 May 2020, 14:59 by Denis Chabrol

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) spokeswoman was Friday afternoon unaware whether the administration or the seven-commision has considered a request by A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) for the Information Technology (IT) Manager, Aneal Giddings to be removed as supervisor of the tabulation process.

Spokeswoman, Yolanda Ward was asked to comment on a formal request by APNU+AFC Elections Agent, Joseph Harmon to GECOM Chairman, Claudette Singh hours after Giddings and a colleague were in a purported secret discussion with Dr. Frank Anthony and Sasenarine Singh.

“I am not aware of any discussions at the level of the commission nor any consideration pertaining to that,” she said, when asked for an update on Harmon’s call for Giddings to be “removed forthwith” as the IT Supervisor at the Tabulation Centre.

Ward has already rejected the idea of secret talks because the Tabulation Centre is located in the dome of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown is an open area that is accessible by all party agents. She has said two officials were Thursday morning setting up equipment when they were approached by two party agents and the “whole thing spun out of proportion and termed a secret meeting .”

Harmon, however, appealed to the GECOM Chairman to remove Giddings as Supervisor of the Tabulation process. “Suffice to say that there is now widespread belief that Mr. Giddings is compromised  and this perception of bias can further undermine the credibility of this important process.

“We have lost confidence in Mr. Akeal Giddings willingness and ability to discharge his functions for oversight or tabulation of elections in a fair and unbiased manner,” Harmon said.

Representatives of several small parties that were in the tabulation centre refuted claims by the APNU+AFC representative, Daniel Seeram who first made the claim of a secret meeting.