Rigging through NRCs
Rigging through NRCsBy Editor
Fri 15 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT
Unless the process is correct, election results that are accepted and respected by both the winners and the losers will continue to be elusive. It is therefore very important that there is reasonable consensus over all activities and processes leading to the holding of elections.
And voting is not only a right of every eligible citizen, but rather a duty. There is a big injustice if a citizen who is eligible to vote does not do so because he or she is not registered as a voter as a result of not having obtained a national registration card.
It is therefore an important responsibility of the government to ensure that every citizen who has attained the age of 16 should be issued with a national registration card to enable them to register as voters when the time comes so that they can take part in next year’s elections if they would have attained the age of 18 by the time the voters registration begins. If a citizen does not exercise his duty to vote, Zambians run a risk of getting into public offices people who have no national interests at heart and who are going to jeopardise the future of their children.
We therefore urge every Zambian who has attained the age of 16 and above to obtain their national registration cards so that when the time comes, they can exercise their right and take up their citizen duty. Go and obtain a national registration card so that when the time comes, you can register as voters and vote for the right persons. Zambia needs patriotic leaders; people who place national interests before personal ambitions so that we can all walk together in faith, hope and love.
We know that it is the duty of the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue national registration cards to all Zambians who have attained the age of 16. But it is also your duty as a citizen to ensure that this is done and done in time for you to be able to register as a voter. The neglect of the duty of participating in the choice of leaders in general and presidential elections brings catastrophic results to the nation.
It is a great mistake to shun this responsibility. And every citizen is called upon to play his or her part conscientiously, that is: those with leadership gifts should obtain national registration cards and register as voters and present themselves and be ready to contest and serve the people in accepting office as a trust and service to the people and not as a stepping stone for enriching themselves.
But to do this, one has to have a national registration card. So go and get it; all citizens who have reached a voting age should obtain national registration cards so that they can register and participate in electing leaders who have the necessary qualities.
It should be understood that the neglect of participating in the voting and in the election of good leaders allows unworthy candidates to take leadership positions and brings disharmony in our country. To neglect to obtain a national registration card and to register as a voter and consequently vote is to lose a person’s right and a nation’s right.
It is also important for the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure that every citizen who qualifies for a national registration card has immediate access to it. And if the Ministry of Home Affairs fails to do so, this will be tantamount to disenfranchising such citizens. This responsibility cannot be gotten away with by the government.
Litigation should be commenced by any citizen or group of citizens who are being disadvantaged by the government in that way and the court should be urged to compel the government to immediately issue such citizens with national registration cards. There is no need to sit ndwii and cry that the Ministry of Home Affairs is not issuing us with national registration cards, they are only doing so in areas where the ruling party feels politically strong.
They can be challenged and compelled to issue you with national registration cards. If national registration cards are being issued in an irregular manner, this will constitute an electoral irregularity which is a violation of the rights of every eligible voter who is not issued with a national registration card. It is therefore very important that the Ministry of Home Affairs does everything possible to ensure that every citizen who qualifies for a national registration card gets it before the voter’s registration exercise commences.
We say this because without this being done, free, fair and constructive elections will not become a reality; they only become a reality when the politicians, when those running government and who are tasked with a duty to prepare the nation for elections take their responsibilities seriously.
The political rights of every Zambian citizen consist in the capacity to participate in government. They exist for the public good. The most important political right is to vote. Today the vote is a serious duty. Whether a nation will have good or bad laws, an upright or inefficient administration depends on voters. A person who is able to vote but never votes is guilty of a serious omission.
So it is the duty of the citizen and the government to ensure that all that is needed for one to vote is in his or her possession. Citizens who do not care for their duty of voting are an easy prey to tyranny. This imperative duty must be fulfilled carefully and we must choose wisely people who will take the direction of civil affairs.
There is need for us to create conditions for peaceful, free and fair elections. There will be no peaceful, free and fair elections if some feel national registration cards are only being issued, or are disproportionately being issued, in areas where the ruling MMD has more public support.
To have peaceful, free and fair elections, certain conditions have to prevail in our country, in our practices and in our hearts. There ought to be a conducive atmosphere. The major players have to agree on conditions under which next year’s elections will be held.
And these conditions start with the issuance of national registration cards. National registration cards are an important part of our electoral process because without them, one cannot register as a voter and vote. Not to issue national registration cards to an area where the opposition has more popular support is tantamount to rigging an election.
Rigging and other electoral irregularities are a violation of the rights of the voters. The contestants, which include the party in government, have to conduct themselves in a manner that does not put others at an unfair disadvantage. There ought to be transparency in the organisation of next year’s elections – starting with the issuance of national registration cards.
Constructive dialogue should be encouraged at all times on key electoral issues like the issuance of national registration cards.
In the light of the complaints being raised about the issuance of national registration cards, we make special appeal to the government and to the ruling MMD to realise that they have a serious responsibility.
As facilitators of next year’s elections, they should ensure that the concerns of all key players are adequately addressed. We also make an appeal to the opposition political parties about the need for them to be open and constructive in participating in the electoral process and in addressing the issues pertaining to the issuance of national registration cards and the registration of voters that will follow.
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. Good elections require intelligent and responsible participation of all voters. Our vote is a powerful weapon for unity, an instrument of liberty, justice and peace.
On our voting, on the quality of it, the discernment behind it, depends the progress and peace of our country. The interests of the political parties should be kept subordinate to the public good. All citizens must be guided by the truth, integrity and justice. And it is necessary to remind all political parties, including the ruling MMD and its government, that politics is for the good of people and the country, and not for a political survival of any individual or political party.
Those in power should realise that they have a duty to ensure that every citizen who qualifies to register as a voter is given an opportunity to do so. And if they fail to do this, they should be challenged and be compelled to perform this duty without discrimination. We also remind those in government that their powers are not absolute; they are limited by the laws of our country, the natural laws, the laws of God, including the human rights. Therefore in performing their duty to issue national registration cards to all citizens who qualify to get them, they are required to respect the divine law and natural law, including the respect of human rights.
The issuance of national registration cards is not an issue that should be left to the whims and caprices of the Minister of Home Affairs. It is something that requires the participation of all stakeholders because elections are a central institution of democratic representative government. We say this because in a democracy, the authority of the government derives solely from the consent of the governed. And the principal mechanism for translating that consent into governmental authority is the holding of free and fair elections.
Simply permitting the opposition access to the ballot is not enough. An election in which supporters of the opposition are deliberately disenfranchised by not being issued with national registration cards cannot be said to be democratic – free and fair. The ruling MMD may enjoy the advantages of incumbency, but the rules and conduct of the election process must be just and fair. And this means that the issuance of national registration cards must be conducted in a manner that is just and fair to all.
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posted by MrK @ 5:00 PM
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