GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The main opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Wednesday said it does not believe that the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is the correct agency to oversee a Code of Conduct for the September 1 general and regional elections.
“Let us be abundantly clear that while we believe in the value of a Code of Conduct on peaceful, respectful, and lawful campaigning, we have no confidence in the impartiality and independence of the Ethnic Relations Commission,” the APNU said in a statement.
It said that under the current People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government, “the ERC has become merely a political stooge.
“Not surprisingly, it has accordingly failed to perform its many constitutional functions,” the APNU said in the statement.
On Tuesday, representatives of four of the seven political parties contesting the elections, namely, the Alliance For Change (AFC), the Assembly for Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), the PPP/C, and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), signed the Code of Conduct.
The APNU and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) were absent from the signing ceremony.
The chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Shaikh Moeenul Hack, spoke of the importance of responsible leadership and national solidarity at the signing ceremony.
“Let us also reaffirm that the political space in Guyana must never be reduced to hostility or intimidation. It must remain one of dignity, responsibility, and decency, where all citizens feel safe to participate and express themselves without fear.
“The Code of Conduct, in this sense, is not just a pledge made to the ERC; it is a promise to the people of Guyana, a vow to conduct campaigns peacefully, to reject hate speech and divisive rhetoric, and to put the national interest before partisan ambition,” Shaikh Hack told the signing ceremony.
He said the primary objective of the Code of Conduct’s signing is to ensure that the rule of law is upheld, adding, “it affirms that all political parties must conduct themselves by the laws of Guyana and must actively appeal to their supporters to do the same”.
But in its statement, the APNU, which is a coalition headed by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), said the ERC is unfit to serve as the sponsor of a Code of Conduct on peaceful election campaigning and described the signing under the agency’s command as “a political gimmick that will do little to promote free and fair elections and to serve the interests of the Guyanese people.
“The APNU Coalition hereby pledges to the nation that we will conduct our campaign in a peaceful, lawful, respectful manner – as we already are. We embrace the fact that Guyanese have the constitutional freedom of expression, association, and assembly.
“We embrace the fact that Guyanese must be able to vote for the party of their choice freely,” the party said, adding that should it win the elections, it will transform the ERC to function in a manner that will allow it to carry out its constitutional mandate.
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