Editorial
Role of DCs crucial for good election
Nation expects them to be up to the task
WE cannot emphasise enough the importance of the role to be played by the Deputy Commissioners (who will also be acting as returning officers) for the integrity of the upcoming national election on December 18. Indeed, it is not overstatement to say that in the coming seven weeks, it is their performance, above all else, that will either make or break the election.
If the DCs rise to the occasion and perform their appointed role with efficiency and effectiveness and are not constrained by partisan consideration or influence from any quarter, then there is no reason why the election should not go smoothly and the wishes of the voters will be reflected at the polls.
To this end, the DCs must take their roles with the utmost seriousness. They must be vigilant and energetic and must ensure that the various election laws and regulations are carried out to the hilt. Anything short of this would do a disservice to the public and open the door for the elections to fall into controversy and disrepute.
It goes without saying that the DCs must ensure that those bank defaulters and convicts who are barred from contestation do not find their way onto the ballot. In addition to this, however, there is a High Court directive ordering that the candidates release certain relevant information to the voter. The DCs must make sure that these kinds of regulations are complied with and that all candidates fulfill their responsibilities to the voters.
In the past, returning officers were known to have turned a blind eye and allowed candidates to flagrantly flout the election laws. This must not happen this time.
Most important of all is the responsibility to ensure that there is no intimidation of voters or violence, either before, during, or after the polls, and that every voter is able to cast his or her vote in safety and without fear. Elections in the past have often been marred by either overt or covert intimidation of voters, and the DCs must ensure a secure and level playing field, such that the voters right to cast their ballots as their consciences dictate is not infringed upon.
The responsibility before the DCs is a grave and onerous one, and we trust that they are up to the job. If they act with integrity and are above reproach in their administration of the election, then they will have performed an indispensable service to the country.
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