Now is the time for sober discourse and action

Apr 15, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I am more than disappointed over the protracted delay in the swearing in of a president for the new term of governance. Previously I sent some letters for publishing but I guess they did not meet your editorial agenda. I find that every time the opposition comes up with a request and it is being addressed they suddenly change the goal posts so to speak. It is as though they have some hidden agenda and are subtly leading the nation down the path of destruction.
Might I remind the nation that in the 1960’s the PPP had such an agenda which eventually led to the demise of some 165 souls which ought never to have been. This led to the polarization which we have witnessed since those times. The security forces at the time were not charitable to the PPP supporters who were involved in bombings, rapes, lootings and arson. They were dealt with condignly. Any such future plan will be dealt with more severely since we now have a standing army and not a part time force as in those days.
To satisfy everyone the recount to be undertaken by GECOM cannot be a simple numbers count. This count must be a forensic audit of what has taken place on polling day and involves verifying all the parameters concerning the voting system. Anything short of this would be a pappy show. It was seen that in many districts reputed to be strongholds of the PPP many irregularities took place. What with extra ID cards being distributed together with multiple voting and messing around with the official SOP’s. All of this was captured on YouTube videos for all the world to see.
In view of the foregoing the recount will take a long time and will spring surprises for the world to witness. Yes, eventually there will be a loser and a winner. However, many are going to be shocked by the results of this recount. In my layman’s view a recount should only follow a decision of the Courts in an elections petition case. For GECOM to so proceed in order to appease any one group seems to my mind to be a breach of the current legislation. But GECOM has wide ranging powers.
GECOM was set up many years ago with many flaws in its administration and funding. Some twenty years ago a band aid fixing of some of the problems was agreed to by the parties concerned. Instead of a general overhaul of its systems and composition the two large parties knew very well that whoever won an elections could virtually do as they well pleased and get away with same. It is disingenuous to have two parties alone having total say over the elections machinery of the nation. What about the views of other important interest groups and stakeholders?
The solution to the impasse seems to be the immediate installation of the president and the setting up of a constituent assembly for the rewriting of the constitution and the new frame work for the GECOM. Anything short of this would be putting us right back where we were.
Editor, it might not be your desire to publish this letter but I can assure you that now is the time for sober discourse and action to take the nation out of the jaws of death and destruction. What took place in the 1960’s would be but a kindergarten party compared to what we are being pushed into now. Today’s belligerents were infants in those days.

Regards,
Cyril Walker

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