Black Immigrant Daily News

In light of the APNU/AFC’s recent calls for the voters’ list to be cleansed, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has contended that it will only act by the Constitution of Guyana and legal provisions.

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has been pushing to have a clean voters’ list, which he maintains is “bloated.” He has also threatened to boycott and block future elections if this is not done.

But GECOM explained in a statement on Friday that while it is cognisant of those concerns, it cannot act contrary to the legal provisions enacted in the National Registration Act (NRA), Chapter 19:08 – something which it says has been extensively ventilated at the meetings of the Elections Commission.

The NRA dictates the procedures for the registration of eligible persons and likewise the removal of any such person from the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB), from which the existing Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) was extracted. The voters’ list or Official List of Electors (OLE) is established from the PLE.

“…It is not that the concerns of stakeholders about the PLE are being ignored, but GECOM must act within the framework of the Laws of Guyana,” GECOM said.

The Elections Commission reminded that the eligibility requirement for registration is that one must be a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturalisation; or a citizen of a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more. Once persons have met those requirements and have been registered, their registration is and remains legal. It follows that any removal of their names from the NRRDB, without a legal basis, would be unlawful and unconstitutional.

Existing legislation provides that the removal of names from the NRRDB can only be done through the legal methodology which includes the receipt of monthly reports from the General Register Office (GRO) or through an Objections process; which allows for any elector, or suitably accredited scrutineers of political parties, to object to the inclusion of names in the PLE whom they suspect may not be eligible. However, the burden of proof would be on the objector to present at the time of the relevant hearing(s) to substantiate the objection(s).

Currently, GECOM is conducting a Claims and Objections exercise that started this week and will run until mid-September.

Moreover, the electoral body further pointed to the August 2019 ruling of Chief Justice (ag), Roxane George, in the matter of Christopher Ram vs Guyana Elections Commission about the House-to-House Registration exercise in 2019. In that decision, the CJ ruled that “for the names of persons already registered to be removed from the list of electors, they would have to be deceased or otherwise become disqualified but the failure of registered persons to be present or resident during the House-to-House exercise would not be such a disqualifier and such a person’s name can only be deleted if they no longer meet the qualifying criteria under Article 159(2) or become disqualified under Article 159 (3) and (4).”

Justice George further ruled that “GECOM would have no legal authority to remove or deregister such persons who are otherwise qualified unless such registration can be cancelled under Section 8, which provides for cancellation of registration, or in the Claims and Objections period under Section 15 of the National Registration Act and the Regulations thereto.” The Chief Justice concluded that if GECOM is to act outside of those legal provisions, “it would be unconstitutional and, therefore, illegal.”

According to GECOM, it is of crucial importance to mention that the decision of the Chief Justice was not appealed, and, therefore, only by way of the enactment of legislation can persons’ names be removed from the NRRDB.

To this end, the Elections Commission is reminding persons that the ongoing Claims and Objections exercise allows for all eligible persons to make a claim to be included in the OLE and provides the opportunity for all those persons who are already registered to check the accuracy of their registration records in the PLE that is posted countrywide in every Registration Division/Sub-Division. Accordingly, any such person can apply for changes/corrections to his/her registration particulars on or before September 11, should this be required.

Additionally, the Commission is also strongly urging persons to scrutinise the PLE, and object to the inclusion of the names of persons, whom they suspect may not be eligible for such inclusion, on or before September 15. Original documentary evidence must be provided to support the objection by the law.

Nevertheless, GECOM further stated that it remains resolute in its vision, “to maintain and further develop the capacity to conduct credible registration; General, Regional and Local Elections which enjoy the confidence of all Guyanese and meet international standards for elections”.

This statement by GECOM outlining the laws it operates under comes on the heels of Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, earlier this week calling on the Commission to clarify to the public, and more so the APNU/AFC, that it cannot remove the names of persons from the voters’ list at the whim of its leader.

Last week, GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh told reporters that everyone on the voters’ list is legally there. She added too that if indeed the list is bloated as alleged by the Opposition, then the ongoing Claims and Objections exercise can be used to contest names and have them removed.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

A house at No 64 Village Corentyne, Berbice, occupied by an elderly couple, came crashing down in the wee hours of Friday thus trapping them inside.

Sixty-two-year-old Madray Budram and his wife Parbatie Budhu were asleep when the pillars to their old wooden home gave out.

The elderly woman stated that she managed to run to safety but could not assist her husband.

“Breeze na blow am; the house fall down just so and we wake up,” she said in her native Corentyne dialect while noting that there was no electricity to the building, forcing her to find a window in the dark to get out.

One of their neighbours Tathtea Bridgall told Guyana Times that she was awakened at about 00:30h by a loud crashing sound. Upon investigating, she discovered that the house in front of her had fallen.

Madray Budram and his wife Parbatie Budhu

The woman said she was able to get her two sons to go through a window and remove the posts which had fallen on the semi-paralysed man.

“Me tell me husband to run because something wrong. So, when we run out of the house, I hear she scream out calling for help. So, ah tell my husband for us to go and see if the house mash them. I make my son them wrench the window and go in and two posts went on top of the old man and they pick up the man and put him on the bed and we make sure that nothing was wrong with them.”

She explained that they stayed with the couple until about 03:00h before returning home.Budram has been living at the house for the past 20 years, and it has been 15 years since the couple has been living together. The elderly man fell ill three years ago and is being taken care of by his common-law wife.

“It is not his married wife, he take this lady long. They don’t have children together but both of them two get their own children but none of the children dose think about them,” the neighbour said.

Meanwhile, Budhu explained that she works as a domestic worker and earns $1000 a day for four days a week. She said she has been taking care of her sick husband who cannot walk nor speak since he became ill. “Me ah clean am and feed am and gone go wuk. Me ah do all thing fuh am,” she stated.

The man was left traumatised and in tears, he tried to use his hands to show signs as a means of explaining what took place. The couple is soliciting the assistance of the public to repair their home.

Persons desirous of lending assistance can contact the neighbour on telephone number 338-2795 or 658-2899.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

According to the National Hurricane Center, as of Saturday, August 27, 2022, two bad weather systems were in or near the Caribbean region. These are described below.

Eastern Caribbean Sea

Over the Eastern Caribbean Sea, the NHC reported a trough of low pressure, producing minimal shower and thunderstorm activity.

Environmental conditions could become more conducive for slow development of this system during the early or middle part of next week while it moves generally westward at 10 to 15 mph across the central and northwestern Caribbean Sea.

The chance of formation through the next five days is low, at 20 per cent.

Central Tropical Atlantic

Over the central tropical Atlantic Ocean, the NHC reported a broad and complex area of low pressure, which is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

The interaction of this feature with an approaching tropical wave could support some gradual development of the system during the early and middle parts of next week while it moves westward to west-northwestward at about 10 mph across the central tropical Atlantic.

The chance of formation through the next five days is low, at 30 per cent.

Dry air helping to calm storm development

In addition to the NHC reports, The Weather Channel reported that dry air is present “over parts of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean near and east of the Lesser Antilles,” which “is likely to keep a lid on Caribbean Sea development for the next few days.” An image of the areas of dry air are depicted below.

Areas of dry air

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Thirty -two duplex housing units have been handed over to proud new homeowners under the National Housing Trust (NHT) Community Renewal Programme (CRP).

Beneficiaries received the keys to their new homes located at Majesty Gardens, Phase 1A, St, Andrew.

The units were handed over during a ceremony on Wednesday (August 24) on the site of the new housing development.

Of the 32 housing solutions that were handed over, three have been allocated to the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) and 29 are for eligible NHT contributors.

Amenities include common parking areas, concrete sidewalks, potable water distribution network, central sewage collection and treatment systems, underground electrical distribution infrastructure, common area lighting infrastructure, green area and land reserved for recreation.

The selling price for the units are – studio (252 square feet) $4.8 million, one-bedroom (417 square feet) $6 million, and three-bedroom/two-story unit (833 square feet on 1,200 square feet lots) $8.9 million.

Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, in his address at the ceremony informed that with respect to the 29 successful NHT beneficiaries, 51 per cent are women; 31 per cent of the total number fall within the age range 19 to 40 years and 51 per cent are in the 41 to 60 age range.

He noted that 28 of the 29 beneficiaries are within the income band minimum wage to $30,000 per week, with one recipient within the income band $30,000 to 42,000 per week.

This, he said, is in line with the NHT’s “targeted subsidy approach”.

“The income group that the NHT is now targeting is the minimum wage to $30,000 dollars per week. That has been the income group that has not had significant benefit from the NHT. I am very happy to say that almost all the beneficiaries are from that income range… . This is the group that we need to focus on and target in our society,” he said.

The cost of the units is being subsidised by the NHT to assist low-income earners to realise their dream of homeownership.

“It means that the contributors of Jamaica to the NHT are paying for a portion of the full portion of the unit, so that you are able to afford the unit,” he explained, noting that this fulfills the Government’s mandate of providing decent shelter for every Jamaican, regardless of their income.

Member of Parliament for St. Andrew South Western, Dr. Angela Brown-Burke told JIS News that the programme is life-changing for the beneficiaries, who can now experience the pride of being property owners and the opportunities that will afford them.

“It is secure, it is safe. It also gives them the opportunity to add on to it and expand it to something that is their own and customise it. And just owning property is a big deal because they can now go to the bank and take out a loan because they have collateral, and just the opportunity to build this community is what a lot of them are looking for,” she said.

The CRP programme, which is extended across cities and towns islandwide, aims to facilitate intervention strategies for the improvement of physical and social infrastructure, and create economic and employment opportunities.

It also promotes the sustainable development of marginalised communities within the Kingston Municipal area to achieve holistic community development.

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