Dear Editor,
Elections are very important for a functioning democracy. They facilitate democracy by allowing people to have a choice on who would govern them. Therefore, it is important that no one who is eligible is excluded from voting. Every eligible voter who is 18 or older on day of election must be on the voters’ list. At the same time, the dead must not be on the list.
Guyana has had a long history, going back to 1968, of the deceased voting and of thousands of eligible voters, especially youths, excluded from casting ballots because their names did not appear on the voters’ list. The current voters’ list being prepared for voting in the March 2023 Local Government Elections is problematic. The list is bloated, having the names of many deceased, creating vast opportunities for electoral fraud. Many young voters who recently attained 18 are not on the list while the dead is somehow voting, how is this still considered a democracy?
I have lived and traveled to other democratic countries and have never heard of unscheduled/random ID card registration, most countries allow registration year-round. Clearly, the list is not credible and appropriate for an election at this time. For the preceding reasons the United Republican Party (URP) will not be partaking in next March’s LGE. The URP is of the view that unless the voters list is cleansed of the names of deceased and that all eligible youths have their names on the list, no election should be held.
A new voters list is sorely needed. Thus, URP calls on GECOM to embark on a house-to-house registration to create a new and updated voters’ list that excludes no one.
Sincerely,
Dr. Vishnu Bandhu
Political Leader, URP
