A British envoy’s comments over the weekend have broadened the rift between pro and anti-government supporters on the use of a controversial voters’ list at a looming local government poll in Guyana.
The voters’ list, in its current composition, has been condemned by the main parliamentary opposition, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC). It contends that the list is bloated with the names of dead voters and those who are out of the jurisdiction. The party is also calling for the use of enhanced biometrics at places of poll. According to the government’s top brass, the demands are unrealistic, following a court order barring the removal of names from the National Register of Registrants – from which the voters’ list is generated.
The APNU+AFC is, however, unwavering in its view that the use of the list could lead to similar rigging allegations and voter impersonation that purportedly occurred during the five-month, drawn-out March 2020 General and Regional Elections. The party is calling for a clean list, noting that if its demands are not met, it will pull out from the Local Government Election (LGE) set for March 13, 2023.
But the United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner, Jane Miller, has said that the list can be used with the implementation of a few safeguards. “From what I have heard, I think the list is good enough and I think we just need to make sure that there are those mechanisms in place to make sure it is regularly updated and verified,” Miller was quoted as saying by the DemeraraWaves two days ago.
The comment has been welcomed by the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), with government-controlled social media accounts sharing the article with followers over the weekend. However, the Commissioner’s position is not sitting well with some quarters. According to longstanding Trade Unionist, Lincoln Lewis, the envoy’s comments are a violation of diplomatic expectations.
“The High Commissioner represents one of the most powerful nations in the world. She speaks for the UK and her words will resonate around the world, generating comments within the region and our domestic borders. Such statements are not only a violation of diplomatic expectations but an act that can empower the present People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime to continue along its path of using a compromised electoral list that had been ridiculed by all, including the party, when they were in opposition,” Lewis said in a letter to the media.
The trade unionist noted that the list has created a lot of distrust in Guyana’s electoral democracy.
“What the high commissioner is asking Guyanese to accept would not have been accepted in UK or any western society and would usually be condemned by them in Third World countries as a threat to a free, fair and transparent process,” Lewis noted.
He added, “The fact that the high commissioner could dare to think she could express such thoughts publicly shows a sense of misplaced empowerment and displaced diplomatic authority to so do. Who or what has emboldened this high commissioner? Who or whatever it is, Guyana is definitely in dangerous times when it comes to its national interest.”
Lewis said that the High Commissioner’s comments could likely pave the way for the government “to not ensure a credible electoral process of which the list is a very important component”.
