Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall during a recent airing of his show, “Issues in the News”, said that the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, the Deputy CEO, Roxanne Myers, and Region Four’s Returning Officer (RO), Clairmont Mingo should have been dismissed and not sent on administrative leave.
Nandlall comments come on the heels of a Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) decision earlier week to send the trio on leave to facilitate discussions on motions brought by government-nominated Commissioners to have those officers removed. The motions came as the trio are embroiled in controversy stemming from actions they allegedly took during the highly contentious March 2020 polls. They are all before the courts.
The decision to send the officers on leave was unanimous, the Commission’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward confirmed on Tuesday.
Recognising that GECOM is an independent body, Nandlall said that he does not agree with the decision taken.
“I have my own views. They should have been dismissed immediately. But I don’t run GECOM. They were sent on administrative leave. I don’t agree with that. I believe they should have been dismissed…But GECOM is an independent body, and I suppose people will have to continue to put pressure on them to ensure that these people are removed completely,” he said.
He contended that “the world saw” what Lowenfield, Myers, and Mingo attempted to do during that electoral process. He bemoaned the fact that taxpayers will still have to ‘reward’ these officers while they are off the job.
“When they go on administrative leave, they will continue to receive their salaries. Every month we continue to reward them for what they attempted to do in this country. That is not fair, that is not right – on no level. But that is the GECOM’s decision and hopefully, that decision will be vacated and they will be dismissed,” Nandlall said.
The leave will come into effect on June 28. The CEO will proceed on 42 days annual leave, the DCEO will be on 120 days leave, and Clairmont Mingo, 35 days.
