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Beware: They are it again!

Feb 05, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor

I have noted that the opposition parties are at it again. They are questioning the accuracy of the voters’ list and threatening to be their usual destructive selves. In the process, they are relying on downright lies, distortion and half-truths.

It is true that the voters’ list is somewhat large. However, from the time the decision was taken to move towards continuous registration, a decision that the opposition was fully on board with, it was known that this situation would have arisen.

The reason was to avoid having to do a completely new list at every election. Moreover, it was realised that if a no-confidence motion was passed unless we have continuous registration, we would not be in a position to hold elections in three months, as the constitution requires.

The PNC and others who were in the opposition at that time were very keen on this. They supported it wholeheartedly. Moreover, if for any reason we needed an urgent referendum, the old system of registration could not suffice.

The main issue here must be that all the names on the list are real persons and not fictitious. Many measures have been put in place, at great cost, we should note, to ensure that was so.

For instance, whenever a person is registered, GECOM officials along with representatives of the ruling and opposition parties visit the homes of the registrants to ensure that all the information is correct. It is then signed off by a GECOM official and the representatives of the political parties.

The other issue is the question of biometrics. When talk of this arises, the opposition deliberately chooses to ignore the fact that every registrant is fingerprinted. Before elections are held, the whole database is sent abroad, to reputable companies in either the US or Canada, accompanied by officials of GECOM and representative of the political parties, to be checked for any duplicate registrants.

This guarantees that a voter is only registered once.

This system has been working very well and was tested on more than one occasion.

In 1997, the elections were forensically audited by a team of competent CARICOM elections specialists headed by Mr. Ulric Cross of Trinidad and Tobago. In the final report, it was stated that not a single fraudulent vote was found.

In 2001, the Chairman of GECOM, Mr. Joseph Singh, Major General (Retd.) invited international elections specialists to audit the elections before he demitted office. Again, not a single fraudulent vote was found. It’s because it is so difficult to rig the elections that the PNC/APNU/AFC tried to do so from inside. From all appearance, they succeeded in 2015 but were caught in 2020.

In relation to dead people being on the list, it seems very unlikely or at best very minimal since the list of dead persons is sent over monthly from the Births and Deaths Department so that those names are removed from the list.

The fundamental points should not be lost in the PNC/APNU/AFC offensive and attempts at sowing confusion, that is, firstly all the names on the list are real people, some may be abroad temporarily (maybe President Trump’s deportation policy would help to ensure that they return.). The second fact is that a person can only vote once. The opposition would be better served if they play a positive role in nation building in whatever capacity they are operating instead of attempting to disrupt.

That would be the patriotic thing to do.

Sincerely

Donald Ramotar

(Beware: They are it again!)

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