Press Association slams GECOM over lack of responses to key questions

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) says it is dissatisfied with the lack of timely information from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) which has allowed “claims, accusations and rumours to fester.”

A statement from the GPA Wednesday noted that GECOM is slow in its response to matters of national interest relative to the pending general and regional elections.

“To date, key and critical questions have gone unanswered by the designated spokesperson, Ms Yolanda Ward. Even questions for planning and administrative purposes remain unanswered. The Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield and the Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh are for the most part inaccessible,” the GPA statement noted.

Against this background, the GPA has come to the conclusion that GECOM “is complicit in and must be held responsible for imbalanced coverage especially in instances where there are serious accusations and claims being made by the election commissioners, political parties and other stakeholders.”

The GPA called on all election observation missions to take note of the “disservice being meted out to the populace by GECOM by allowing claims, accusations and rumours to fester. If not addressed with a sense of urgency and professionalism, GECOM must regard itself as a willing participant in any unfortunate reaction.”

The GPA said it has appealed for these issues to be addressed at the highest level of GECOM.

See the GPA’s full statement below:

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) is dissatisfied with the lack of timely information from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and slow response to matters of national interest relative to the pending General and Regional Elections. To date, key and critical questions have gone unanswered by the designated spokesperson, Ms Yolanda Ward. Even questions for planning and administrative purposes remain unanswered. The Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield and the Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh are for the most part inaccessible.

Against this background, the GPA has come to the conclusion that GECOM is complicit in and must be held responsible for imbalanced coverage especially in instances where there are serious accusations and claims being made by the election commissioners, political parties and other stakeholders.

The GPA calls on all election observation missions to take note of the disservice being meted out to the populace by GECOM by allowing claims, accusations and rumours to fester. If not addressed with a sense of urgency and professionalism, GECOM must regard itself as a willing participant in any unfortunate reaction.

The GPA has appealed at the highest level of GECOM for these concerns to be addressed and remains hopeful that corrective measures would be put in place to facilitate easier access to information and timely responses.