By The Editor
This is a year of elections in various countries in Southern Africa, and the regional headlines would be dominated by whether or not those elections took place in a free and fair manner. It is worthy to note though that the yardstick to measure a free and fair election starts with preparation, and having a war of words before elections is not a good omen.
Namibia can only learn from the 2009/2010 elections that resulted in a court challenge, with the judiciary making some serious comments on the manner in which the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) conducted its business. The hope is those loopholes and the shortcomings that elicited such comments have been rectified.
However, the noise from opposition parties regarding the voters’ roll, if it is anything to go by, should not be taken lightly, as it would again cast aspersions on the integrity of the ECN. No country wants to have an election body whose reputation is constantly questioned, as it does mean the final vote counts would be questionable as well.
It is thus a relief that the ECN agreed to extend until the end of this month the deadline for registered political parties and associations to scrutinise the provisional voters’ register. This does show that it has nothing to hide – it shows transparency, openness, and democracy at work.
There is no reason to have a repetition of the 2009/2010 court challenge. The nation should enter the election period with a clear conscience and harbour no doubts about the integrity of the election body, knowing very well that the party that is declared the winner at the end of the day is indeed the choice of the people.
Elections are not a matter solely for political parties but a national issue. It is for that reason that political parties too, when criticising the ECN in its job, should do so solely for the purpose of furthering democracy but not to score cheap political points. They should aspire to find working solutions to the problem, having fully accepted the ECN as their trusted partner. For without trust from their side, they would always find the ECN wanting.
Political parties are now disappointed with the format in which the role is availed for scrutiny, maintaining that the PDF format is not user friendly. In this case, political parties are yet to speak out clearly on how they wish to receive the roll. Understandably also the ECN says it cannot simply avail the roll in a format that allows for tampering with information. The ECN has the duty towards the whole country that information the public has provided it remains safe and secure in its hands, hence the PDF format. Here, political parties need to consider security elements and make acceptable suggestions not only to the ECN but also to all political parties. This is while being mindful of the time as Election Day looms closer.