Guyana Observer News

GECOM embarks on new territory with local govt’ polls - Surujbally

Thursday, 04 February 2010

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Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr. Steve Surujbally, has said that the Commission is in the process of embarking into new and relatively unknown territory in implementing the newly legislated mixed electoral system for Local Government elections in Guyana. Dr. Surujbally was speaking to participants at the interactive public education session with members of the general public at the City Hall recently. Referring to the imminent Local Government Elections, Dr. Surujbally said that the elections will be conducted in an “unaccustomed format – one which has very specific elements with which you will be unfamiliar”. He said that it is GECOM’s job to simplify the electoral system might seem extremely complex and complicated to those unfamiliar with it.

Responding to “murmurs” that since the Local Government polls might contain some inherent intricacies, GECOM should have commenced its public education campaign before, Dr. Surujbally emphasized that GECOM had made a conscious decision to focus specifically on post House to House Registration ‘undertakings.
These included the production of ID cards, distributing those cards and improving and re-issuing cards in cases where some of the cards were not acceptable to some. Other work the Commission was engaged in including preparing a New Register of Registrants, preparation of the new preliminary voters list, and preparing and implementing the claims and objections for the local government polls, with all of its concomitant information which had to be shared with the public
To this end, Dr. Surujbally stressed that it would have made absolutely no sense to clutter people’s minds with these already difficult issues associated with Claims and Objections with the inherent complexities of the systems which are all integral parts of the Local Government elections process. Dr. Surujbally was accompanied by Commissioner Vincent Alexander, Commissioner Moen McDoom and Mr. Calvin Benn, Chief Election Officer (ag).
Similar Sessions were conducted simultaneously at the Anna Regina Town Hall and the New Amsterdam Town Hall. Commissioner Charles Corbin, Commissioner Mahmood Shaw and Mr. Keith Lowenfield, Deputy Chief Election Officer (ag) represented the Commission at Town Hall – New Amsterdam, while Commissioner Robert Williams, Mr. Deolall Ramlall - Civic and Voter Education Manager and Ms. Roxanne Smith - Registration Officer, Anna Regina Registration Office, represented the Commission at the Anna Regina Town Hall.
While the Georgetown and New Amsterdam sessions could be deemed to have drawn poor attendance, notwithstanding the fact that the events were broadly advertised, over sixty persons including the Mayor of Anna Regina and a Region 2 Member of Parliament were among those participating at the Anna Regina forum.
Commissioner Williams outlined the history of Local Government elections in Guyana at Anna Regina and spoke about the new system to be used for the conduct of the upcoming Local Government elections. He encouraged those present to advise all eligible persons to register and complete the relevant transactions so that they could be listed correctly in the various constituencies and Local Authority Areas.
At the end of the session, the participants expressed satisfaction in the knowledge which they obtained and enthused that they are now much more informed about the electoral system for the Local Government Elections and therefore are now better prepared to participate in the electoral processes.
The sessions were conducted in a deliberate move by GECOM to intensify its comprehensive public education programme pertaining to the upcoming Local Government Elections.

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