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Reopening the claims and objections enhances the electoral process

Jul 23, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am baffled by the logic of the opposition parties, namely APNU and WPA in the position taken that “the need to reopen another round of the Claims and Objections is pregnant with the possibility of irreparable danger to the integrity of the final voters list”.
One would have thought that the inclusion of the greatest possible number of eligible voters on the Voters’ List would strengthen the democratic process, since it would allow for a larger universe of voters to determine the choice of the new government.
Clearly, subject to the requisite scrutiny by the political parties, the inclusion of additional names to the list would enhance the integrity of the list and result in greater voter confidence.
The concern of the opposition parties should be whether or not the re-opening of the Claims and Objections period will interfere with the holding of elections within the constitutionally due date and from all indications there is no way in which a two-week extension could derail the elections within the constitutionally due date as claimed by the opposition parties.
The fact of the matter is that there are still a significant number of persons, mainly in the hinterland regions, who did not get their names on the list due to no fault of theirs but due to difficulty in getting source documents, in particular birth certificates out of logistical and bureaucratic reasons.
The reopening of the Claims and Objections period would open a new window of opportunity for those who otherwise would have been disenfranchised by default.
There is nothing sinister in giving people a chance to determine their future government.
This is the true essence of democracy, provided it does not interfere with the provisions of the constitution with respect to the transparency and integrity of the electoral processes.
Hydar Ally

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