Dear Editor,
THE daily revelation of discrepancies at the national recount centre at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) is worrisome enough, because of the degree and concentration of electoral fraud being unearthed. Still, when an episode of assault on a person is added, it makes the situation even more toxic and explosive. It is time to lock up those responsible for the conspiracy to defraud the electoral system, and to steal the people’s vote and expressed will for a government of their choice.
It was reported that Mr Robeson Benn, a People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-named Commissioner to GECOM allegedly assaulted Dr. Helen Imoff as she attempted to check his temperature as required of persons entering the facility to attend to the recount. Dr. Imoff has found the situation so traumatising an experience, it is being reported that she has resigned from the Ministry of Public Health, where she worked for the past six years.
According to media reports, Dr. Imoff has said that she is “Still in shock, I was in the field risking my life so that everyone can be safe. To be treated with such violence while performing my duties in a most respectful way, is painful, both physically and emotionally.” No one on duty in the interest of public safety, health and wellness of the Guyanese people should have to endure these kinds of attacks on their person.
The assault on Dr. Imoff by GECOM Commissioner Benn should be treated as a grave matter. GECOM must, therefore, act decisively in sending a message to Commissioner Benn and others that being a commissioner does not give you the right to assault and/or abuse other members of the public sector. This matter should not die in silence, or with the passage of time, and for this reason, I agree with the Minister of Social Protection, the Hon. Amna Ally that the police should investigate the situation, and bring charges against Commissioner Benn for the assault.
As it stands now, the public sector has lost the services of a valuable public servant, because of the attitude and behaviour of Commissioner Benn, who should have been helping to set an example of compliance with the guidelines he helped to approve for the ACCC. So, here is a case where he adopts the guidelines, as stipulated by the Ministry of Public Health as it relates to COVID-19, but was willing to break the very said rules by refusing violently to be temperature-checked by Dr. Imoff.
The situation of the assault on Dr. Imoff is indeed a troubling development, because it involves no less a person than a GECOM Commissioner. For this reason, GECOM must deal with the situation involving Commissioner Robeson Benn without equivocation; it must be decisive. GECOM should demand his recall and re-placement by the PPP, because of his penchant and inclination for aggressive behaviour. Not long ago, he was involved in another incident, where he claimed that he was being “threatened and targeted” by “elements” in the Guyana Police Force.
At a minimum, he should be suspended from the process, pending the outcome of the investigation, and he should, if he hasn’t already, apologise to Dr. Imoff for the unwarranted assault on her person.
Beyond the action required to remedy the assault on Dr. Imoff, GECOM’s authority and credibility are on the line because of the ever-expanding catalogue of discrepancies at the national recount. Some of the differences and inconsistencies have caused one to wonder whether GECOM had deployed trained staff to operate these polling stations and whether their alpha-numeric skill set was deemed sufficient. There is no doubt that before long, it will have to decide on how it will treat all these cases of electoral fraud being uncovered in every box thus far recounted. The world awaits its ruling.
Those of us who have followed elections in various jurisdictions around the world is anticipating that in some instances GECOM will need the assistance of the police and perhaps overseas expertise to unravel this level of coordinated electoral fraud that is being perpetrated against the Guyanese people.
In other countries, these kinds of discrepancies when uncovered draw penalties of varying degrees, such as the outright removal of the affected ballots; or discarding the entire ballot box, removing it from the tally. Depending on how widespread the infraction and how it would impact on the final outcome, the election officials might order a re-run in the affected polling division or district to determine the winner; and very often the election officials who participate in such fraudulent activities at the time of the election, are charged and imprisoned.
The systemic level of electoral fraud being uncovered at the ACCC requires swift action by GECOM. The deferring of some of these decisions to a debate or discussion in the heavily partisan Commission, later in the process will hurt overall credibility of GECOM in the end. Some of the discrepancies, like dead people voting, do not need a debate. The proof is easily obtained and verifiable. The deceased is not supposed to vote.
Regards,
R. Chung-A-On
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_epaper_23_05_2020