Editorial
Making candidates' personal info public
Remove all barriers to implementation
There cannot be two opinions regarding the right of the voters to be informed about the personal details of the candidates he or she is going to vote for. The importance of the matter has once again been restated by members of civil society, politicians and people of different walks of life, who have great stake in the quality of the future legislators and elected office holders of the country, at a roundtable entitled 'voters right to information for a fair and meaningful election.' Some are of the opinion that we should go beyond seeking information on only the eight matters related to the candidates, stipulated by the high court, who must also make public his or her political background.
The matter is of great significance and needs to be internalised by all concerned, the EC, the political parties, the government and the judiciary. It is meaningful elections that we are hoping for, and transparency of the candidates about their background information will allow the voters to make informed choices. Such information is not for the voters alone but for the countrymen at large as well, in keeping with the best practices in democracy all over the world. Making public disclosure of the candidates' credentials mandatory will, we are certain, enhance the image of the country.
However, it is not enough to have such a law in paper only. A good deal would depend on the political parties, which has to set the standard for nomination of candidates. They too must, on their own volition, collect relevant details regarding their prospective candidates. We would hope that the political parties would desist from making money the sole criterion for selecting their nominees, instead give more weightage to their integrity and capability to represent the interest of the electorates.
It will be for the election commission to have the details verified to ascertain the veracity of the candidates' statements well before the election, so that those that might have resorted to falsehood can be barred from the election. Thus there is a need to furnish the information well before the election to get any value out of public disclosure.
We join our voice to the call made at the said roundtable, and to that made by the EC not long ago, to have the pending appeal on the high court's ruling adjudicated without further delay, since the local government elections are likely to be held shortly.
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