Recently appointed Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice Claudette Singh will be taking her new position in the middle of a fierce debate over house-to-house registration which was ordered by her predecessor, Justice (retired) James Patterson.
According to the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), there would be enormous pressure on Singh to discontinue that exercise. In spite of this, the WPA is urging that she stands strong against those appeals and ensure that her decisions are guided by the doctrine of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which is, “marrying principle with practicality.”
In a statement to the press yesterday, the WPA said, “As we welcome the new GECOM chair, it is clear that her tenure would not be an easy one. With no known affiliation, she begins her job with some needed capital. She will be overseeing an election, which from all indications, would be keenly fought. The WPA hopes that in the final analysis, her stewardship would take the Commission further along the road of impartiality. Because she holds the casting vote in an institution that reflects the political divide, she has the dual role of leader and mediator.”
Having said that, WPA called on the leaders of the day to tone down the political pressure and allow GECOM to do its work. The Party stressed that GECOM should not be the arena for settling political scores. It said that compromise and consensus should drive the deliberations and decision-making while noting that Guyana can ill-afford a dysfunctional elections body at a time when the stakes are very high.
Further to this, the WPA praised President, David Granger and Opposition leader, Bharrat Jagdeo for being able to find a resolution to the appointment of the new GECOM Chair.
The WPA said, “In the end, the two principal leaders did what the Constitution and the CCJ required of them—arrive at an outcome through a process of cooperation and consensus. That they arrived at this consensus without any overt external intervention is an indication that Guyanese are capable of solving their problems on their own.”
WPA expressed hope that this decision between the two leaders is a signal that hyper-partisanship is giving way to political maturity.
