Maravi

Give everyone who qualifies an NRC

Give everyone who qualifies an NRC
By Editor
Tue 06 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT

“No Zambian should be disenfranchised because of not having an opportunity to get an NRC (National Registration Card) or voters card. The footage on television showing long queues at Matero Constituency just shows how our leaders lack the ability to think effectively on such important national matters.”

These are the observations of Reverend Pukuta Mwanza, the executive director of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, on the on-going national voters registration exercise which started on April 1 and is expected to end on June 30, 2010. Good elections, free and fair elections require intelligent and efficient preparations.

To have peaceful, free and fair elections, certain conditions have to prevail in our country and in our hearts. And the major players have to agree on conditions under which these elections would be held. The contestants have to conduct themselves in a manner that does not put others at an unfair disadvantage.

Constructive dialogue should be encouraged at all times on key electoral issues, such as voter registration, which starts with the registration for NRCs.

It is clear to all that if the national registration exercise for NRCs is allowed to continue this way, many citizens will be robbed of their right and duty to vote in next year's elections. It is clear from the queues in Matero that we all saw on television that this exercise needs a bit more time to be spent in each constituency.

And there must be adequate opportunity for people to register for NRCs up to the end of the voters registration exercise. We say this because there are people who will not be able to register now and obtain NRCs before the end of June and these should not be denied the opportunity to do so before the whole voter registration exercise is completed.

And those in charge of the registration exercise should be reminded of the fact that voting is not only a right of every citizen of this country who has attained the age of 18 at the time before the voters registration exercise is concluded, but rather a duty.

If their opportunity to vote is lost, Zambians run the risk of getting into public offices people who have no national interest at heart and who are going to jeopardise the future of all our children. Therefore, every citizen who has attained the appropriate age of 18 should be given the opportunity to take up their duty as citizens and register to vote. They need to obtain NRCs and register as voters so that they can vote for the right persons on next year's elections.

Denying any citizen the opportunity to obtain an NRC and thereafter register as a voter so that they can participate in the choice of leaders at all levels brings catastrophic results to the nation. It is a great crime, a great injustice to deny any citizen the opportunity to obtain an NRC and register as a voter so that they can participate in next year's elections. It is a great injustice to rob any citizen of this opportunity to exercise their citizen duty of voting. All citizens who have attained the age of 16 have the right to be issued with an NRC so that when they turn 18, they can register as voters and participate in choosing their leaders.

And we are told under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “…the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be exercised in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 21 page 5).

The basic item of a democratic state is that the government governs with the consent of the people. “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 21 page 25). The minimum guarantee that the government rules on the basis of the genuine will of the people is regular free and fair elections. This minimum guarantee can be frustrated by not issuing citizens who qualify NRCs so that they can register as voters when the time to do so comes and eventually cast a vote in a public election.

To deny a citizen the opportunity to obtain an NRC so that they can register as voters and vote is to lose a person's right and the nation's right. The political rights of citizens of this country consist in their capacity to participate in government. They exist for the public good and they are not strictly rights but rather privileges. The most important political right or privilege is the vote. Today the vote is a serious duty. Whether a nation will have good or bad laws, an upright or inefficient administration depends on the voters. A person who is able to obtain an NRC and register as a voter but neglects to do so is guilty of serious omission. And if a person who qualifies to obtain an NRC and register as a voter is denied the opportunity to do so, those responsible for that are equally guilty of a serious omission. Citizens who do not care for their duty of voting are an easy prey to tyranny.

Not voting in elections can help bring anarchy to the country by leaving all the responsibility to inefficient and unworthy people. We all have rights and duties as citizens and the love for our country urges us to act accordingly in all justice and charity. We should all be conscious of the crucial role which each one of us should play in choosing the leaders who will create the Zambia we want to live in.

Free, fair and constructive elections would become a reality when those in government, especially those tasked with the management of elections, take their responsibility seriously. To have peaceful, free and fair elections, certain conditions have to prevail in our country and in our hearts. There ought to be a conducive atmosphere.

And in the light of all this, we make a special appeal to the government, and to the ruling MMD to realise that they have a serious responsibility. As facilitators of the elections, they should ensure that the concerns of all key players and all other stakeholders like Reverend Mwanza are adequately addressed. We also make an appeal to the opposition parties and other stakeholders about the need for them to be open and constructive in participating in the electoral process and in addressing all the issues pertaining to next year's elections, including the issuance of NRCs and the registration of voters that will follow this.

Next year's elections will provide all Zambians with a unique opportunity to show their political maturity and their sincere aspiration for peace and harmony anchored in justice. It is in this spirit that we want to appeal to those in charge of the national registration exercise and voter registration to organise things in a manner that will enable every citizen who qualifies to obtain an NRC and register as a voter to do so. It is clear to all that the period of registration for NRCs needs extension. And this doesn't need much disquisition.

The right to vote bears positive fruit for the country when all citizens are given adequate opportunity to obtain NRCs, register as voters and choose good leaders who will serve the country with justice towards all. Our vote is a powerful weapon for unity, an instrument of liberty, justice and peace which no citizen should be unjustifiably disarmed of. On our voting, on the quality of it, the discernment behind it, depends the progress and peace of our country.

And as such, the interest of political parties should be kept subordinate to the public good when it comes to the preparations and conduct of elections.

It is important to remind all those who are involved in this exercise that the national registration exercise and the voter registration and the elections that will follow next year are for the good of the people and the country, and not for the political survival of any individual or political party. If the spirit of the primacy of the common good were to animate these exercises, we have no doubt that the advice given by Reverend Mwanza to ensure that no Zambian is disinfrancised because of not having an opportunity to obtain an NRC and register as a voter would be quickly acted on and ensure that it is addressed.

Labels: PUKUTA MWANZA, VOTER REGISTRATION

posted by MrK @ 4:28 AM