THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), over the last few weeks, chided the Opposition Political Parties for spreading its deceptive and misguided narrative about the electoral process, upcoming elections, and its ongoing work programme.
GECOM also stood up to the opposition’s campaign of misinformation and disinformation, being spearheaded by the People’s National Congress. For example, the body recently issued two statements criticising comments made by the opposition leader Aubrey Norton, and co-leader of Working People’s Alliance (WPA) David Hinds via social media programmes. According to GECOM, both comments were untrue and misrepresented the body of facts.
Additionally, GECOM has not been afraid of putting its own Commissioner Vincent Alexander in his place whenever he is found guilty of telling half-truths and slandering GECOM.
Under the able-bodied management of Chairman Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, GECOM seems not to even be intimidated by the barrage of journalists who sought to team up at a recent press conference to corner the Chairman about GECOM’s position on the sanitation of the voters’ list, biometrics, reform and such like matters.
In the end, the Chairman declared that GECOM will always follow the law and will only do what is within its legal remit. The other matters are for the Judiciary and the Executive to pursue, the Chairman suggested.
Firstly, this new posture that GECOM has adopted is refreshing, as it is necessary when dealing with the political parties, particularly the current opposition. GECOM must continue to act as a detergent, cleaning the mess and water that the opposition is muddying with their disinformation campaign.
The PNC, AFC, and WPA should be ashamed of themselves that they still cannot seem to pick a struggle and stick to it. What is even more shameful is that GECOM has to clarify and upbraid them constantly for the web of confusion and alternative facts that they are seeking to plant in the minds of some gullible Guyanese.
The GECOM’s public relations direction is going down the right road in the right direction. It is functioning effectively when it comes to safeguarding GECOM’s interest in having elections that are free from fear, free, transparent and credible. As the public saw, the American Electoral System was nearly bombarded by the fake news, foreign agents and countries, disinformation, misinformation about the elections, and other threats, but in the end, it succeeded in fending them off.
So must GECOM and Guyana if our process is expected next year to be free and fair by international standards. Maybe GECOM needs to do more to fast-track its Voter Education Process before the 2025 elections. They should start a robust campaign aimed at targeting the common lies about the elections in both 2025 and 2020. Guyanese must be told that the PPP/C won the elections freely and fairly, and that GECOM’s systems prevented a very possible steal from becoming a reality.
Messages like these and certain others are going to assuage the minds of the electorate, leading to a boost of confidence in GECOM and its conduct of elections in the country.
Secondly, the public is disappointed at some of the media operatives and their line of questioning for GECOM. Let’s be clear, the body is not on trial and the tone mixed into the deceptive line of questioning of the chairman and other GECOM senior staff was unnecessary. Some of the questions should be asked of the current government, judiciary and the political parties.
It is unfair to ask GECOM about legislative reforms or its position on allegations made by individuals which were properly vindicated at the level of the judiciary. The media must be made to understand its role as a public gatekeeper and it must ask the right probing questions of the right people.
Some sections of the media are not traditional or ‘real’ media. They are clearly representing the interests of their ‘buddies’ at Congress Place and other political parties, and not the public.
Make no mistake, these sections of the media are emissaries of the opposition, PNC, AFC and WPA. They are falling victim to the opposition’s deliberate and strategic narrative about GECOM, the voters’ list, biometrics, and other matters that they miss the truth and facts which are glaring and staring them in the face.
The media must investigate and find out the truth. GECOM, it would appear, has nothing to hide now. It has hired new staff and benefitted from extensive training in areas of perceived and proven weaknesses.
Thirdly, Singh’s declaration that she makes her own decisions in response to a question from the media reinforces the entire backbone of her existence as chairman with a casting vote on the Commission. If she didn’t make her own decisions, the public would be disappointed in the retired Judge. So, calling for her removal, protesting and picketing in front of GECOM’s headquarters will not lead to free and fair elections.
She has shown that she has no desire for demitting office because she finally understands how the political actors are moving in the elections cycle, and politics generally. Singh knows of the tricks and strategies used to sabotage, interfere and stymie the will of the people by political parties that are hungry and yearning for power.
Fourthly, this election 2025 will prove to be very interesting and jaw-dropping to say the very least. The PNC-led opposition is using the unjustified argument that a clean and new voters’ list must be in place for there to be free elections. It is calling for the Chairman’s removal.
All the while, it is still participating in everything that GECOM does as a Secretariat and Commission in the lead up to elections 2025. It is still present at each cycle of continuous registration and has polling and other agents doing the legwork to make sure only those that should be eligible to vote votes. It is still carrying out its political meetings and exercises while spreading lies and misrepresenting publicly available facts.
So, the question must be asked, is the opposition setting the stage for itself to lose the election, then blame it on GECOM, the list and biometrics?
Is the opposition playing a game of strategy to have the PPP and the public focused on one thing while they attempt to steal the elections in 2025 from another area, therefore blindsiding us altogether?
Is the opposition saying clearly if it wins, then the list is clean and elections are free?
The public must not bite the bait. The problem is not with GECOM, in this case. It is with the opposition that is underwhelming, underperforming, and uninspiring, to say the least in every respect of local politics. It is not up to scratch and it is not representing the views of the public as best as it could. The opposition is still divided, with Norton hanging on to power by a limb.
They are on the precipice of electoral defeat next year and are trying hard to make it seem as if it is everyone’s fault but their own.
Maybe Norton and his men will get the message when they are conscious of the fact that GECOM will no longer be used as the scapegoat for what seems to be the opposition’s failure at elections 2025.
Hiding behind a strategy is not being effective and will not win the elections next year!
Blaming GECOM unjustly would not result in victory! Removing the Chairman will not work to win the 2025 elections!
Only hard political groundwork in the communities across the country, prayer and supplication will help the opposition!