PPP, OP frustrating registration exercise - PNCR

PPP, OP frustrating registration exercise – PNCR

Jun 06, 2008 News

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has expressed its displeasure at what it views as the deliberate efforts of the PPP to frustrate and undermine the current registration exercise.

These efforts, the party explained at its weekly press briefing, are designed to undermine GECOM’s decision to guarantee a clean voters’ list which has been the source of great controversy and conflict in previous elections.
“GECOM’s insistence on proper source documents as a prerequisite for registration is intended to ensure that persons are properly identified before registration and prevent duplication of names and padding of the voters’ list that has been a feature of the past.
It is true that many persons have had difficulty in producing source documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates and deed polls. However, the solution to this problem lies with the office of the General Registrar of Births and Deaths. What is required is a special task force at the General Registrar’s office and special arrangements to issue these documents to persons requiring them to facilitate their registration.
The PNCR understands that GECOM has already made representation to the Ministry of Home Affairs for such arrangements to be put in place but nothing has been done so far. Instead, the PPP and the Office of the President want GECOM to use the National ID now in circulation, of which there are several duplicates, as the basis for identification. These ID cards were produced from a very flawed list, so it is evident the PPP wants to perpetuate an unreliable and padded list in the future. This is totally unacceptable and will result in another objectionable voters’ list and the wastage of millions of dollars. The PNCR wishes to put the government on notice that such an approach will never be acceptable.”
The party noted that another area of concern is the deliberate attempt being made to frustrate the scrutiny of the registration process by withholding agreed payment to Party scrutineers. “It is now the 5th day of June and the Government has refused to release monies due to scrutineers for the month of May. This is a clear attempt to frustrate the scrutineers of political parties who have been in the field all month in the hope that they would either leave the job or become less vigilant.
The Office of the President had announced that the PNCR had misused $100M and that they would mount an investigation and that the system of payment would be changed to cut cheques payable directly to the scrutineers. In accordance with the new directive, the PNCR resubmitted their list of scrutineers along with their relevant ID cards as requested. The PNCR considered this exercise totally unnecessary as all their scrutineers were duly accredited by GECOM and the record is with the Elections Commission. The Party nevertheless complied but the individual cheques promised have not been issued.
With the rising cost of living, particularly for food and transportation, scrutineers will find it difficult to continue working daily unless they are paid the outstanding monies due to them. The payment of individual cheques will also create further problems since it is unclear how the scrutineers in the hinterland and the riverain areas will be able to encash their cheques.”
The PNCR stated that it expects that the Ministry of Finance which imposed these new arrangements on the instructions from the Office of the President will also put in place arrangements in these areas to have those cheques encashed.
The party emphasized that it was placing the government on notice that should the scrutineers who are appointed to monitor the registration process be impeded from carrying out their functions, then “the PNCR will have no alternative but to dishonour the integrity of the registration process and the voters’ list which emerges from it”.
It was noted that the party will hold a special press briefing on what it described as the registration fiasco and the undermining of the work of the scrutineers.