Delroy Chuck
THE ELECTORAL PROCESS is being undermined, tainted and corrupted. With general elections around the corner, the whole election process needs to be further fine-tuned and protected; otherwise, our democracy will be corrupted and easily purchased. In spite of the sterling effort of the Electoral Committee of Jamaica to clean up the voters' list, there are still underlying problems that beg for attention. Perhaps the single most pressing problem is the undue influence of money and material benefits to buy votes.
To be sure, elections have come a far way. There is less violence, less intimidation and less voting out of boxes. Not so long ago, many constituencies voted even before Election Day. Ballots were simply marked the night before and when the polls opened on Election Day, the results were already known. Other consti-tuencies waited until the polls opened when violence was used to intimidate and force electoral workers from the stations to allow the unperturbed and corrupt marking of the ballots.
INTIMIDATION AND VIOLENCE
In the by-election in West Central St. Andrew in 1998, I witnessed the intimidation and violence, when the four polling divisions in Taylor Basic School were simply overtaken by PNP thugs. At the end of the day, virtually 100 per cent of the votes were cast for the PNP candidate. The rerun of the elections in those four PDs was ordered by the EOJ and, amazingly, less than 60 per cent of the votes were cast, and many of the voters were actually voting for the very first time. My understanding is that the intimidation and violence experienced in West Central St. Andrew in 1998 is still a normal practice in many inner-city garrisons. Will the EOJ have in place the electronic equipment and enough computers to stamp out this practice?
THREAT TO DEMOCRACY
Unfortunately, there are far too many persons in Jamaica who believe elections must be won at all costs. The corrupt breed of professional politicians who rely on politics for everything will do anything to ensure victory. The country and its image, decency and honesty, and a better life for our people, are secondary concerns to electoral success.
The missionary zeal and passion with which the professional politicians pursue electoral victory is a real threat to democracy and decency as handouts and curry goat politics are used to override the competing choices offered by the candidates and parties. The real issues, policies and programmes to improve and develop the country and our people are easily ignored when money, large sums of money, are used to unduly influence people's choices.
One cannot doubt that money plays an important part in politics. It is needed to mount a successful campaign, to advertise, pay party workers, rent and buy equipment, and for other lawful and necessary purposes. However, when it is used simply to buy votes then it is downright unlawful, corrupt and criminal. I have heard of the golden ballot and of the use of cellular phones to snap the picture of the vote on the ballot paper, which allows the voter to collect money from the candidate or his agent but I did not know that money was given out so extensively on Election Day. In the recently concluded Eastern Westmoreland by-election, the going rate was $1,000 per vote. I met many Labourites who indicated that they were not voting, as the comrades were getting $1,000 and they were getting nothing. One old lady in Seaford Town, who actually said she had voted for 'Luther' came up to my vehicle to ask if we had brought her $1,000!
Surely, we must find a way to stop corrupting the electoral process. The Representation of the People Act prohibits the undue influence of voters but, somehow, we need to make the law crystal clear to candidates and their agents. I would strongly urge the enforcement of the law whereby between and during Nomination Day and Election Day, if money, handouts, promises of direct and personal material rewards are used to bribe and influence voters then the culprits should be charged and if found guilty, disqualified and or imprisoned. If we do not stop the direct purchasing of votes, our electoral process will be further corrupted and our democracy will be worth nothing.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.
