Dear Editor,
As it stands, the members who form the GECOM Commissioners consist of three members from the Government side and three members from the Opposition benches, and the Chairwoman as the casting vote.
After the 2020 General Election, there has been a change in the electoral landscape of Guyana, in that there is the presence of the smaller parties. These parties together form an Opposition group commonly called The Joinder Parties.
A small group of parties, some may say, but together they play a significant role in a Guyana body politic today. In this regard, I am putting forward the argument that this joinder party grouping be represented in GECOM.
The point is: the Commission should now be the overarching conglomerate of individual parties, which should accurately represent the democracy that now exists, and a reformed GECOM should do just that. It must be a body that reflects our political landscape in a just and meaningful way.
Now, to place all parties on an even keel, there should be a coming together of these individuals to elect two (2) persons to the post of Commissioners on the GECOM Board. The chosen figure of two is arrived at so that when you sum up the total number of Commissioners, there would be a total of 8 persons, representing all the political parties, with the chairwoman coming in as a casting 9th vote, being an uneven number.
The configuration should read 3+3+2 + 1 = 9. The one casting vote of the Chairwoman brings the total to the required uneven number of 9, in the event that there is a tie.
I hope this would be an eye opener for a reconstituted and more democratic GECOM.
The point I am making is that the joinder parties were that influential to gain a seat in Parliament, and I do not see why they cannot be represented at GECOM. That cluster of parties, by virtue of its presence, has earned itself a place in Parliament, and, as such, must be seen on A Guyana Elections Commission committee of persons.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams
