GECOM pushes ahead with plan to remove names of those who did not collect ID cards

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will be moving ahead with plans to remove the names of over 25,000 persons from the voters list who have not collected their Identification Cards dating back to 2008.

GECOM will publish these names this weekend, according to Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Vincent Alexander who spoke with the media shortly after the agency’s statutory meeting on Tuesday.

Alexander said the names will be published in the four national newspapers: The Guyana Chronicle, Stabroek News, Kaieteur News and Guyana Times.

“We did explore the possibility of in fact dating when the person was registered in the publication but it starts from 2008 and comes forward [with the most recent being] last year,” he told reporters outside of GECOM’s High Street, Georgetown office.

Gunraj, an opposition nominated commissioner, was not too pleased with the agreement, noting that persons who registered during the last Claims and Objections period in 2018 will be disenfranchised.

“Much to the disagreement to myself and colleagues, the Chairman [Justice Claudette Singh] is insisting on publishing the names of the persons who have not collected their identification cards and what is now made very clear is that persons who might have registered as late as last year, or in the last Claims and Objections period before this one, who have not collected their ID cards, also stands at risk of being removed from the list,” Gunraj said.

“This continues to be disconcerting,” he added.

On October 29, it was disclosed that persons will be given 21 days to collect their ID cards and failure to do so within the prescribed time will see their names being removed from the official list of electors for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

This decision was taken by the GECOM Chairman.

The Commission on Tuesday also met with A New and United Guyana (ANUG) to discuss how it can assist the small party.