What are these tools? I was a member of the Elections Commission for the 1973 elections. I was also a member of the Elections Commission for the 1992, 1997 and 2001 elections. I have witnessed first-hand the ‘tools’ used in the darkest days of election rigging in 1973, the incipient steps in 1992 to put in place the basic tools to ensure free and fair elections and the explosion of resources, staffing, training, equipment, education, publicity, some of it with generous foreign help, for the Elections Commission. Since I had developed an interest in election management, I thereafter followed developments closely and was impressed with the work of the Elections Commission under its Chair Steve Surujbally to further perfect the election management methodologies. There is nothing in the structure of the Elections Commission or in its rules and practices, and no shortage of tools, that hinder free and fair elections. It is the culture of thievery that is deeply embedded in one part of our political culture that is responsible for election rigging. Unless there are structural reforms to our governance system, this culture of thievery will persist.
