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The Gambia: IEC Should Initiate Voter Education Before It Is Too Late
- Posted by: Staff Writer just now in Education 0 Comments
- IEC Should Initiate Voter Education Before It Is Too Late
- Foroyaa has been receiving information that people are going about in neighborhoods asking for their voters' cards in order to take them to fill forms. They do not know what the forms are meant for and why they should be compelled to give their voters' cards. The fact that a Gambian citizen of full age and maturity is still unable to distinguish the work of the IEC from that of culprits pretending to be from the IEC confirms that the IEC has to intensify voter education among the population.
  
  Those who are enlightened voters would know by now that before there could be election the candidates must first be nominated. In the case of a Presidential election the candidate must be nominated by 5000 people. In order to ensure that the person has regional following each candidate is also required to have at least two hundred nominators from each of the regions.
  
  First and foremost, if any body had power to take a person's voter's card there would not have been any need to hold elections by secret ballot. Elections are held by secret ballot so that no body would be able to influence or dictate how a person votes. If elections were done in the open then debtors would do what creditors want them to do. Those who owe obligation would do what their patrons want.
  
  The secret ballot is designed to free the voter to rely on his or her own conscience to vote.
  
  Hence one's voter's card is one's property. No one has a right to it. Nominating a person is a voluntary process.
  
  Any body who wants to canvass for his or her chosen candidate should identify himself by showing that he or she is a supporter of the candidate and is looking for supporters who would serve as his or her nominators because of the requirements of the law. Those who are convinced would take out their voters' cards voluntarily and sign the forms. Those who are not convinced should be left alone and not harassed.
  
  The important lesson to learn at this stage is that each Gambian has the same voting powers, from the president down to every Gambian at the farthest corner of this country. No one has a right to dictate what a sovereign Gambian does with his or her voter's card.
  
  Any body who allows to be dictated to as to what to do with their voter's card is yet to be a free and conscious Gambian.
  
  You have a right to report any harassment to the IEC and the newspapers with concrete evidence for exposure and redress.
Tags:IEC, Foroyaa
Source:Daily Champion