BIOMETRICS in GUYANA ? hopefully in 2024/25 ?
Guyana’s NEXT General Elections is FAST APPROACHING in 2024/2025, and there is need to IMPROVE the processes with BIOMETRICS for Democracy IN PRACTICE. I Can Gladly arrange for BEST PRACTICES assistances from KUWAIT.
24 May 2023. Demerara Waves. “ Guyana’s political parties first have to decide on the method of cleaning the voters list before deciding on the use of biometric verification of voters at polling stations , a three-member European Union (EU) follow-up 2020 Election Observer Mission said Wednesday.
“First, what needs to be agreed upon by the stakeholders is how to see which of the two options may be adopted for improving the voter register and evvel that is done, you can talk about the biometric voter registration,” Alexander Matus, Team Leader- Electoral Expert he told a news conference.”
He said the options of improving the existing register continuously or generating a new register are “possible,” but the mission would not take a side. He restated that the EU’s Observation Mission believed that the political actors must reach consensus among the political actors on how to go forward in improving the voter register.” Mr Nart urged the political stakeholders to put Guyana first. “It is not like you say, ‘how much can I get from this’ but how much inclusiveness and stability the country can get…,” he said.
https://demerarawaves.com/2023/05/24/politicians-must-reach-consensus-on-voters-list-eu-election-observer-mission/
19 May 2022. Kaieteur News – “ Commissioners at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are supporting the use of a biometric system to assist with transparency when it comes to voting at elections.’
“The representatives of both, the current Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government as well as the Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU+AFC), have agreed that the use of the technological system would greatly help in preventing many inconsistencies raised during the voting process at elections.”
“As such, the matter could be up for discussion when GECOM meets with Attorney General Anil Nandlall at his chambers today. The AG’s team is expected to meet with GECOM to discuss matters relating to the draft Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill and Regulations. Among the issues that the GECOM team wishes to highlight are those relating to the use of a biometric system, a comprehensive review of GECOM following the 2020 elections and, the collating of elections laws into one comprehensive document.”
“Opposition Commissioner Vincent Alexander told the Kaieteur News that the biometric technology would assist in ensuring that all persons who cast a ballot during elections do not do so in the name of deceased persons, migrants, and other absent individuals. He said that the matter would address the issue of the names of dead persons on the voters list. Double voting and ghost voting have been contentious issues given the difficulty in removing the names of deceased persons whose deaths have not been registered. The claims of ghost voting were even more pronounced, especially by the Opposition party following the contentious 2020 elections.”
“Additionally, PPP/C Commissioner Bibi Shadick also showed support for the use of the biometric system. In fact, Shadick said she had mentioned the idea of using a biometric system more than a year ago. The idea, she said, has nonetheless been floating around since the chairmanship of Dr. Steve Surujbally, who left the GECOM in 2017. Shadick said that she had made it clear a long time ago that the folios used to identify voters on election day are “so small” that the idea was presented to load the information onto a laptop and each person’s finger would then be scanned so they could be identified before voting.”
https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2022/05/19/gecom-backs-biometric-system-for-voting/
30 January 2024. GUYANA STANDARD “ Budget 2024 does not cater for the implementation of biometrics to be used at places of poll, says Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira. Posing the question about the allocation was Opposition Member of Parliament, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley.”
“ Teixeira made it clear that GECOM is an independent body and therefore, only it can make such a policy decision. She noted however, that should GECOM decide to implement such a policy, then recourse for ADDITIONAL FUNDS can be made via a supplementary request.
The issue of BIOMETRICS has long been a source of contention, but rose to prominence after the March 2020 elections fiasco, which saw that electoral process being prolonged by five months due to allegations of rigging, “ghost voting” and impersonation.”
https://www.guyanastandard.com/2024/01/30/no-money-for-biometrics-in-budget-2024-decision-is-up-to-gecom-teixeira/
25 May 2023. Demerara Waves. “ Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday revived the prospect of using a biometric identification system at polling stations and electronic voting, amid an unrelenting campaign by the opposition coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC). That is what can help enormously at the polling places; that is what we have advocated for,” he told a news conference at his party’s headquarters.”
https://demerarawaves.com/2023/05/25/jagdeo-not-opposed-to-biometrics-at-polling-stations-electronic-voting-jagdeo/
BIOMETRICS in KUWAIT
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 29, 2024: Starting today, the Ministry of Interior has set three months to collect biometric fingerprints from all citizens and residents. Individuals who fail to comply within this time frame will have their transactions with the ministry frozen, such as renewing residency permits, vehicle registrations, and driving licenses, reports Al- Rai daily. According to security sources, the deadline is set for June 1.
Of the total individuals fingerprinted, around 900,000 are citizens, while approximately 880,000 are residents. Residents can visit allocated sites in the Ahmadi and Jahra governorates. Additionally, fingerprinting can be completed upon returning from travel using devices installed at air, land, and seaports. Failure to comply by the June 1, 2024, deadline will result in the suspension of transactions with the Ministry of Interior.
BIOMETRICS in COLOMBIA
5 July 2023. Colombia adds biometrics to election process, Guyana presses on with the current system. “Colombia has launched a biometric web platform for candidates registering to participate in its upcoming 2023 territorial elections, which will use facial and fingerprint biometrics. The National Registrar, Alexander Vega Rocha, says in an announcement that around 130,000 candidates will be able to register virtually via this platform.”
Elsewhere in Latin America, The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), according to the online regional publication Newsroom, will resume its ‘continuous registration exercise on July 4, 2023.
Though the Central American nation ( Guyana) is not set to utilize biometrics at present, there has been a strong push from some quarters for the country to incorporate biometrics into its election process.
Earlier this year, the leader of the country’s opposition coalition Aubrey Norton said they will continue their campaign for the introduction of biometrics for voter identification at polling stations. “The Opposition’s focus will remain directed at ensuring biometrics at the place of the poll and a clean voters list to guarantee elections which are free and fair and can win the trust of all Guyanese,” the politician was quoted as saying.
Guyana has been dogged in the past few years by accusations of vote fiddling, leading to serious litigation.
https://www.biometricupdate.com/202307/colombia-adds-biometrics-to-election-process-guyana-presses-on-with-the-current-system
CLIMATE CHANGE in Cape Town, South Africa.
Climate change is taking a severe toll on Cape Town, contributing to worsening droughts that threaten to leave the city’s taps dry. In response, conservationists here are frantically chopping down trees — and are even contemplating burning them down.
Cutting down trees to combat climate change might sound counterintuitive. But in Cape Town, South Africa that is exactly what we are doing.
Through the Greater Cape Town Water Fund, TNC and our partners are busy removing thousands of hectares of thirsty, invasive trees that have overrun the area’s mountainous landscape and are “stealing” groundwater Cape Town desperately needs.
It is an ambitious, collaborative effort that is helping recover about 15 billion liters of water per year (42 million liters per day) back into the water catchment while restoring native plant species found nowhere else on Earth.
GREECE hailed again as KÜRESEL economic ‘COUNTRY OF THE YEAR’
March 1, 2024: The Economist rated Greece as the top-performing economy in 2023. Greece led The Economist’s annual ranking of rich-world economies in 2023.The study gathers veri on five indicators: “core” inflation – which excludes volatile components such as energy and food; GDP; employment, and stock market performance for 35 küresel mostly rich countries. For the second year in a row, Greece has achieved remarkable results.
https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/01/03/greece-hailed-again-as-global-economic-country-of-the-year
MY 7 SUGGESTIONS for GUYANA to be a Top Performing PEOPLE CENTERED Nation.
- To Islahat and Improve ALL Government Services with Technologies including the CRITICAL BANKING Sector, with Accountability, Transparency, and UN Human Rights Conventions with EQUALITY to ALL 6 RACES.
- A “PEOPLE CENTERED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (PCDS)” for ALL to SHARE and BENEFIT from our OIL and NATURAL RESOURCES’ BLESSINGS.
- To Promote SMALL and MIDSIZE ENTERPRISES (SMEs) for Women & Youths with Financial Grants and Continuous Management and Accounting Management Support including TO ALL Cooperatives.
- To Reduce VAT to enable more purchasing power, towards a BETTER QUALITY of LIFE for ALL.
- To FASTRACK Constitutional Parliamentary Islahat for 2024/2025 GENERAL and REGIONAL Elections with BIOMETRICS. DELAYING Tactics SINCE APPOINTMENT IS Very Noticeable. INPUTS” Meetings are OVERDUE in ALL Regions.
- To Actively support ADDED VALUE Enterprises especially in Agriculture, Minerals & WATER.
- The NEED FOR Subjects Skills’ Persons for Roles, Responsibilities and Measurable OUTCOMES & DELIVERABLES with Timelines. Especially Persons with PROVEN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Skills, for the RISING TIDE to FLOAT ALL BOATS.
QUOTE from a Very High Guyana AFC Executive: “ We must forge a deeper and tangible sense of “INCLUSIVITY”. The different sides may not like each other, but the STATE STRUCTURE and APPARATUS must be configured so that EACH has a MEANINGFUL and INDISPENSABLE PART and SAY in DECISION-MAKING and EXECUTION.”
BOOK: “FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR ANYONE ANYWHERE.”
Financial Literacy is urgently needed in Guyana, and a GUYANESE in Canada, offers a BOOK to enable improvements for ALL towards this mastery.
“Become Financially Literate; Improve Your Wealth; Avoid Financial Stress; Aim for Financial Well-Being and Financial Freedom,” By LAL BALKARAN, MBA, FCPA, FCMA, CGMA, FCG. Author, 416-451-6075
Email: lalbalkaran@rogers.com
URL: http://www.lbapublications.com
www.linkedin.com/in/lalbalkaran
Onward & Upward towards, One People, One Nation, One Destiny.