Guyana Politics: House-to-house registration to end on August 31, 2019

BREAKING: House-to-house registration to end on August 31, 2019

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves – August 27, 2019

The Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh has ordered that the now more-than-one-month-old house-to-house registration will come to an end on Saturday, August 31 and the data would be merged.

“Cognizant of all that has transpired over the past months, GECOM has an obligation to produce a credible Official List of Electors (OLE) in the first instance and ultimately credible elections within the shortest possible time,” Justice Singh stated.

Thousands of Haitians leaving Guyana illegally for Brazil -Felix

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves – August 19, 2019

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Winston Felix.

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Winston Felix on Monday said thousands of Haitians are leaving Guyana at several unofficial crossings to neighbouring Brazil.

Felix said “to be booked out you have to present yourself to an immigration officer”, even as he indicated the length of the border where they are crossing at Lethem, Karasabai, Aishalton. “You’ll understand what you are dealing with so to ask me why they don’t book out, you are not understanding the reality,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.         

Guyana and Britain deny Russia claim of military base construction in Essequibo

• Russia says Essequibo island base is aimed to destabilise Venezuela

By: Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves –  August 16, 2019

Several Essequibo Islands

Guyana and Britain on Friday rubbished Russia’s claim that a British military base was being constructed on one of the Essequibo islands to train Venezuelan refugees to destabilise the Nicolás Maduro-led government.

The Foreign Ministry here called on Russia to withdraw the statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, during a briefing on Thursday on the sidelines of the international youth educational forum “Eurasia Global” in the Russian city of Orenburg.       

Guyana Politics: GECOM awaits written High Court decision; 230,000 registered so far

Posted by: Denis Chabrol  – Demerara Waves –August 15, 2019

Photo: GECOM Chairman Claudette Singh flanked by (left to right) PPP-aligned election commissioners Robeson Benn, Bibi Shadick, and Sase Gunraj and pro-coalition commissioners Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman.

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The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Thursday (August 15, 2019) did not discuss the implications of the High Court judgement on house-to-house registration and related matters because commissioners were yet to obtain a copy of the written decision by Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, an elections commissioner said.Government-appointed elections commissioner, Vincent Alexander expected the seven-member body to meet again by Monday before GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh informs President David Granger on the way forward.     

OIL: Greenidge, WPA executive members clash on direct cash transfers; AFC supports it

David Hinds (left) and Carl Greenidge.

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Demerara Waves – August 12, 2019

Former Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge has confirmed that the Guyana government does not favour direct cash transfers into the hands of ordinary Guyanese on the grounds that it will encourage unemployment, a position that was roundly rejected by Chairman of the Buxton First of August Movement (FAM-Buxton), Professor David Hinds.       

Guyana Politics: The “zone of convergence” must widen and encircle; must get real- By GHK Lall

Posted by: Demerara Waves in August 10, 2019 – By GHK Lall

It is encouraging to read that the President and Opposition Leader started meeting yesterday (Friday, Aug. 9, 2019) to discuss the way forward. It is the only option: meeting and exploring for finalizing; it is that and nothing else. Nothing else is there, other than the meaningless sounds and postures through public advertisements that do nothing for this country: sells nothing, buys nothing but trouble.

Each leader was accompanied by another from within his inner circle. The gathering must be narrowed from four to two soon. I have been and seen where all others had to leave the room and leave only two. That is how the real, hard, trailblazing business is pounded and grounded into grains, and then sifted meticulously. Both sides know that their positions are palpable, yet invisible to each other, unimaginable to the other, even in the contemplation.   

Guyana Politics: There must be softening across the political battlefield – by GHK Lall

Demerara Waves – in August 6, 2019 –  by GHK Lall

Compliments of a Demerara Waves article (July 31) it was reported that coalition commissioners appear “softer on house-to-house-registration.” Softer is not a sign of weakness; it is of common sense wisdom. The same must come from across the floor, since none holds any clear upper hand, nor would be able to claim any powerful position beyond an election.

I submit that any immovable position with reference to registration is pointless, given two related developments made public by GECOM itself. First, the secretariat shared that it has committed more resources in what I would describe as a hard acceleration of the registration process; it is a positive. The second development was to announce that some 100,000 eligible citizens have been registered in the last two weeks. This is another positive, which tells me two things.       

Guyana Politics: President remains in office until next elections if no PPP support for House extension -AG

Posted by: Denis Chabrol – Demerara Waves – August 6, 2019

Anil Nandlall (left) and Basil Williams

Attorney General Basil Williams  on Monday August 5, said President David Granger would remain in office and call elections if the opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) refuses to give its parliamentary support to extend the timeframe within which general elections must be held following last December’s no-confidence motion.

He said it would now fall to the President to fix a date for an election and dissolve parliament. “There is no constitutional crisis,” he said.     

Guyana Politics: No walkouts, only law-based decisions for elections – new GECOM Chairman

No walkouts, only law-based decisions for free, fair and transparent elections- new GECOM Chairman

By Denis Chabrol – Demerara Waves – July 29, 2019

Left to right: Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, GECOM Chairperson Claudette Singh, President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

Newly-appointed Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh on Monday vowed to make decisions based on Guyana’s laws and the constitution, while signaling that she would not tolerate any walkouts from meetings of the seven-member commission.     

New PPP GECOM list: an Ocean’s Eleven of the mostly unfavorable – by GHK Lall

   by GHK Lall –  Demerara Waves – July 8, 2019

I was hoping for a serious list, not necessarily an entirely new list, but one that offered names holding out some hope that the electoral challenges at hand were viewed through a wider lens. I suppose that, now it is on the record, the best will have to be done with it. And if this is the best that came out of the recent government-opposition consultation, then pessimism has to rule. I share what I think of this list of names.  (See list at the end of this article).

There are couple of decent folks in the mix. Literally. From that eleven, there is only one or two of any authentic caliber; and in whom I would place some degree of trust. Trust is the key word demanded, and which has to emerge from what has to be the dirtiest, most thankless, most unforgiving job in the world.