Maravi

Free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections

Free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections
By The Post
Mon 13 June 2011, 04:20 CAT

We highly welcome the call by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for us to hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections this year. We also welcome President Rupiah Banda’s response to Clinton’s call. Rupiah assured her that Zambia will hold free, fair and transparent elections where the voters’ wishes would be respected.

Clinton’s call for us to hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections this year is very important because for as long as the majority of the people in our country, or anywhere on our continent, feel they cannot elect their own leaders in free and fair elections, there will always be tension and conflict. We don’t want tension and conflict because one destabilising act anywhere on our continent is one too many.

Conflicts should be avoided because they threaten, not only the gains we have made, but also our collective future. And we should treat the question of free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections in our country and on our continent as a common challenge.

No one should be allowed to abuse the concept of national sovereignty to deny the international community the right and duty to intervene when, behind those sovereign boundaries, the people’s will is being manipulated through electoral fraud, abuse of state institutions and resources to keep in power a corrupt and tyrannical regime.

Although, we welcome Rupiah’s assurance to Clinton that Zambia will hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections this year, we find it difficult to believe this assurance because his daily political practices go contrary to this, undermine all this.

We know that almost all the countries in the world hold elections. But we also know that not all these elections are democratic; that is free, fair, transparent and violence-free. There are many regimes which stage elections for the sole purpose of giving their rule the aura of legitimacy without those elections being intended to be free and fair and to express the will of the people.

Such elections are held under conditions that ensure through intimidation, rigging, abuse of public resources and institutions that candidates of the political party in power win. These are not democratic elections. We say this because democratic elections are not merely symbolic – they are competitive, inclusive, definitive elections in which the chief decision-makers in a government are elected by citizens who enjoy broad freedom to criticise government, to publish their criticism and to present alternatives.

Simply permitting opposition political parties access to the ballot is not enough. Elections in which the ruling party monopolises the use of public resources and institutions for its campaigns are not democratic, are not free, fair and transparent. And as we have repeatedly pointed out, the political party in power may enjoy the advantages of incumbency but the rules and conduct of the election contest must be fair.

Elections in which the poor are blackmailed with development projects cannot be said to be free and fair. Equally, elections in which the opposition and civil society are denied the opportunity for parallel vote tabulation cannot be said to be transparent. We say this because democracy thrives on openness and accountability, with one very important exception: the act of voting itself.

To cast a free ballot and minimise the opportunity for intimidation, voters in a democracy must be permitted to cast their ballots in secret. At the same time, the protection of the ballot box and the tallying of vote totals must be conducted as openly as possible, so that citizens are confident that the government does, indeed, rest upon their consent.

Again, as we have repeatedly pointed out before, democratic elections should not be a fight for survival, but a competition to serve.

Clearly, it is not enough for Rupiah to assure Clinton that Zambia will hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections this year without creating conditions that make such elections possible.

To have free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections, certain conditions have to be created or put in place in our country and indeed in our hearts, especially in the hearts of those whose duty is to facilitate the elections.

There ought to be a conducive atmosphere. And there cannot be such an atmosphere if Rupiah and his ruling party are abusing public resources and institutions to keep themselves in power. Such conditions will not be created if Rupiah continues to abuse the state-owned news media and treat it as if it were his personal property or property of the ruling MMD.

It will also not be possible to create such conditions if civil servants and other public workers, including those in the intelligence services are made to work in a manner that serves Rupiah’s political and election interests. Rupiah’s electoral concerns or interests are not a matter for civil servants and public officers.

These are matters to be financed and organised by Rupiah and his party. But today, we see many civil servants and other public officers working to help Rupiah win this year’s elections. We have many permanent secretaries, district commissioners, intelligence and police officers who are serving the interests of Rupiah and the MMD using their public offices.

To hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections, the major political players have to agree on the conditions under which this year’s elections will be held. And the contestants, especially those in government, have to conduct themselves in a manner that does not put others at an unfair disadvantage.

Their ought to be transparency in the organisation of elections. Today, our elections are organised by people exclusively appointed by Rupiah. The entire Electoral Commission of Zambia is staffed with people appointed solely by Rupiah or appointees of his appointees.

The opposition and other stakeholders have totally no say in the composition of the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Equally, the Ministry of Local Government, which in truth conducts most of the electoral activities is also staffed by Rupiah’s appointees and their appointees, who are sometimes strategically placed there for the purpose of ensuring a certain outcome in favour of their appointing authorities.

In light of these necessary conditions and the assurance Rupiah has given Clinton that Zambia will this year hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections, we make a special appeal to the government and the MMD to realise that they have a serious responsibility. As facilitators of the elections, they should ensure that the concerns of all key players are adequately addressed. This is the only way to ensure free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections.

It is not enough to assure people that we hold free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections without putting in place practices and processes that will guarantee this. Right now, there is nothing in place to guarantee us free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections. All indicators point to the opposite of all this. We, therefore, should deeply reflect and meditate on the call made by Clinton for us to hold free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections and make this a reality.

Free, fair, transparent and violence-free elections are absolutely necessary in a democratic process. It is sad when elections are marred with unfairness and violence. It is essential for our politicians, especially those in government, to respect the people’s voice and choice. Respect for human dignity requires that elections are conducted well and should never be a matter of fraud or coercion. We say this because that will break the sacred character of democracy. Elections are of value only if they ensure the participation of our people in making political choices.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, HILLARY CLINTON, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:35 PM