Credit Union members cite massive electoral irregularities

DISGRUNTLED MEMBERS OF THE GUYANA PUBLIC SERVICE COOPERATIVE
CREDIT UNION LTD. (GPSCCU) HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE LAST MONDAY
TO VENT THE OUTRAGE over the conduct over massive irregularities during the recently-
held Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election of new office bearers.

“The event flew in the face of the rules of the GPSCCU Ltd were in conflict with the Laws of
Guyana Cooperative Societies Act Chapter 88:01 as well as a total deviation from customs and
practices that were established and in place for over 50 years of the Credit Union’s existence,”
said First Vice President, Ms. Dawn Gardener, reading from a prepared statement.

Gardner and the GPSCCU entourage at the press conference were also incensed at what they
complained what was “a paradigm shift from what was the legitimate expectation of many, if not
most candidates.”

Gardener, Ms. Patricia Went, Ms. Veira Naughton and Mr. Ivelaw Henry formed part of the
GPSCCU Ltd. Team at the press conference. They were also members of the 15-person team
headed by GPSU President, Mr. Partick Yarde, which contested, and lost, the polls they now
condemn.

Yarde was noticeably absent from the press conference.
The Interim Management Committee (IMC) installed under the David Granger administration
was in office for almost three years and doled out sum $100M as fees to the then Ministry of
Social Protection for Audit and Supervision. The government cannot account for the moneys and
there is no evidence that the sum was paid into the Consolidated Fund as required by Law either.

Gardener argued that no improprieties were unearthed against the democratically elected
Management Committee as was alleged, but the IMC became entrenched and its nonmembers
approved themselves as members of the GPSCCU Ltd.

“The Elections of office bearers held at the GPSCCU AGM was the biggest hoax in this country,
known for its elections debacles. The rule of GPSCCU Ltd. are pellucid: every member should
have a chance to participate in the meeting and to cast their ballot to elect members of the
Committee of Management and Supervisory Committee,” Gardener told the press conference.

“To facilitate this, GPSCCU Ltd. provided transportation from a central location to the venue
where the Annual Meeting was being held, so that they can participate in the meeting and to cast
their votes in person. Over the years, the sequencing of the Agenda had had the elections for
Committee of Management prior to that for the Committee of Supervisors, but these were the last
items on the Agenda to facilitate the closure of other AGM matters, before the Chairman hands
over the meeting to the CCDO (Chief Cooperatives Development Officer) to conduct the
Elections,” she explained.

She continued: “In this case, the notice of the Annual General Meeting and Agenda were first
published once in the print media on Wednesday 31 March 2021, where the general membership
of the GPSCCU Ltd were given eight working days’ notice of the meeting. In stark contrast,
eligible members interested in contesting elected positions on the Committee of Management
and/or Supervisory Committee were only given one-days’ notice for related nominations, where
a notice was issued on the March 31st, 2021 and nomination opened and closed on 1 April 2021.
The notice also stated that virtual voting was permitted, but the checks and balances within the
proposed system were not communicated to members to provide a basis for transparency.
Members desirous of voting virtually were required to register in advance on or before 6 April
2021. The agenda listed voting after all the other agenda items”.
They complained that both virtual and in-person voting commenced well in advance of the
completion of other agenda items: on 11 April 2021 in person voting commenced at 10:00 hours,
while virtual voting commenced 12:00 hours.
In fact, both were being done while the AGM was still in progress, although there were no
facilities provided at voting sites for members to follow the proceedings of the AGM, effectively
negating active participation by voting members in other critical AGM matters.

“It was discovered that Loren Parks and Ivelaw Henry, who were both nominated to contest
Committee of Management positions were not on the related ballot papers, but were on the ballot
for the Supervisory Committee instead. There is evidence that their nominations in respect of the
Committee of Management were properly received, even though not acted upon. On the ballot
for the Supervisory Committee, Mr. Kemton Alexander, who was properly nominated as a
candidate, was omitted, while Mr. Ivelaw Henry’s name was incorrectly spelt. There was neither
a posted list of the persons registered to vote virtually, nor was there any means of knowing or
reconciling those who voted or those who did not vote,” the aggrieved members detailed.
In addition, “before the vote, there were voice notes circulating telling persons to vote for a
preferred set of candidates, while for the entire period of the AGM, including voting process, a
vehicle with loud hailer was stationed in close proximity to GPSCCU Ltd Head Office, Hadfield
Street, Georgetown Polling Place announcing very loudly the names of the preferred candidates
and their number on the ballot paper.”
“This was also a feature in the (other) Administrative Regions, where persons in the voting area
were telling members to vote for the very same preferred list of candidates. What was significant
and consistent at every location, persons were advised to vote for the first twelve candidates on
the Committee of Management ballot paper and the first three candidates on the Supervisory
Committee ballot paper.  There were posters on walls of polling stations. There is evidence to
prove these as facts,” the group complained.