THE ELECTORAL Office of Jamaica (EOJ), the Police Force, and the major political parties, PNP and JLP, say they are ready for the general election.
The parties could hardly at this stage say otherwise. We are more concerned here with the state of the machinery and those who will run it.
We think it is the general consensus that the EOJ, in tandem with the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), has managed the system well under strong leadership from Director of Elections Danville Walker and EAC Chairman Errol Miller.
The addition of Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair has been a plus thus far, he having moved with dispatch to defuse the dangerous tensions sparked by the foolishness about the flying of party flags. The three killings in Tawes Pen, St. Catherine, loomed ominously for a while as a throwback to the deadly '80s when political violence peaked.
It is notable that those dark days prompted the process of electoral reforms which have still a way to go. Thus far fingerprint-matching technology has made it possible to eradicate multiple voting, and the preparation of a clean voters list has won general acceptance.
Recruitment and training of election workers has proceeded apace. In this connection it is noteworthy that the EOJ has received financial support from the Canadian Government to fund a training and public education project for political party workers. It is said that this is the first time that a foreign donor has given funds for these purposes.
International concern has been mainly in the area of observers from the Carter Center who have offered reports and recommendations about reforms for the system. CAFFE observers, the local counterparts, are also poised to repeat their role of voting watchdogs.
The training of party workers is an interesting notion simply because it will involve individuals with prior commitment to a political party. But the same must be said of the security personnel who are expected to act professionally independent of their own political leanings.
Across the spectrum of these various interests all we want is a date.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
