DAVID S. MENJOR
Africa-Press – Liberia. Sam Doe, a Liberian heading the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) mission in South Sudan has admonished against anyone toying with the integrity of the elections.
In his keynote address at programs marking a three day high-level national conference on electoral integrity in Congo Town, Doe said it will be foolhardy for anyone who respects the popular voice of the people to experiment with elections fraud.
“Today we gather here to discuss a matter of utmost importance: the protection of the integrity of elections in Liberia. Elections are the cornerstone of any democratic society.
“They can serve as the foundation upon which the governance of a country is built. The voice of the people must be respected and the hard-earned peace continuously secured and protected,” he said as he addressed a few hundred people from various walks of life.
Organized by Liberia Peacebuilding Office with support from Sweden, Irish Aid, UNDP, ECOWAS, Peacebuilding Fund as well as United Nations Human Rights, among others, the three day-conference, which began on Tuesday, September 26, is held on the theme, “United for credible, peaceful elections and a prosperous Liberia”.
During the opening ceremonies, Doe told his audience gathered at the theater hall at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town that his fellow countrymen and women should never forget the accounts that led to the brutal civil unrest a few decades ago.
“Let us not forget that many accounts suggest that alleged elections fraud over three decades ago led to the civil crises in our country and over 200,000 of our compatriots perished while millions others had to seek refuge in foreign lands. Let us never repeat those actions that created the dark history of our sweet country,” he emphasized.
Doe works for the UN in South Sudan, a country that is equally paralyzed economically like Liberia, with high cost of living on the rise and relative peace threatened by sporadic regional conflicts based on national leadership among tribes in that Ease African country.
He pointed out that in West Africa in particular, trust is eroded in many countries due to acts of election fraud that have subsequently led to takeovers by military actors who should otherwise be concerned about the territorial safety of their respective countries.
“Our country has been recovering, even if the recovery is painfully slow from episodes of long, senseless civil war. I hereby say free and fair elections play a pivotal role in the peace we enjoy today. These gains can easily be rolled back if we again toy with elections fraud,” he reiterated.
To his audience, the UN executive added profuse emphasis that election fraud can erode trust in political institutions, and break down the foundation of any democratic society.
According to him, when citizens lose trust and confidence in the integrity of their electoral system; their disenchantment can lead to upheavals and undermine the peace of a country.
Doe further noted that election fraud can lead to severe economic consequences, including the absence of foreign investments in a country, lack of support from international partners and lowering of moral standing on the international stage.
“The country shrouded by election fraud is usually isolated in most cases and few job opportunities become an issue for the majority of its citizens. I know that we, Liberians, cannot afford to go back to the dark history,” he said.
He recommended that upholding the rule of law should be the first and foremost concern of not only the National Elections Commission (NEC) but everyone else, including eligible voters, state security personnel and elections observers, be they local or international.
Doe admonished that corruption should be forcefully fought against at all levels, including the courts, if electoral processes are to be credible and truly reflect the will of the people.
To the NEC, the UNDP South Sudan boss said the need to invest heavily in civic voter education is needed if the people should understand what is expected of them ahead of the polls.
Concerning the overview of the occasion, Edward Mulbah, Peacebuilding Office Executive Director, said the central thrust of the conference is about complementing foundational processes and initiatives geared towards promoting electoral credibility and integrity.
Mulbah said “the overall objective is to stimulate actions of the different political parties and their supporters, National Elections Commission and the Government, as well as other democratic institutions, towards ensuring credibility and integrity during the various phases of the electoral processes — ranging from party primaries and rallies, to campaigning, candidate nomination, voters’ registration, observation, among many others.”
He added that the long term goal of the high-level conference is to further strengthen efforts towards Liberia’s democracy, its unity and prosperity.
He noted further that the conference is a continuation of efforts such as the Farmington Declaration, which calls on all political parties and actors to uphold the tenets of democracy and safeguard the peace.
“The Conference carefully selected stakeholders from across the fifteen political subdivisions, including traditional leaders, youth and women groups, security and media institutions, as well as people living with disabilities and legal practitioners, among others,” Mulbah disclosed.
Speaking for the National Elections Commission, Boakai Dukuly said the Commission is prepared to deliver on its mandate of free, fair and credible elections, assuring the public of a no-compromise undertaking.
A member of the seven-member Board of Commissioners of the NEC, Dukuly spoke on behalf of Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, who chairs the Commission.
“We report what you, the voters, give us. We do not manufacture the numbers or results of elections but count, reconcile, verify and report back to you the results we get. Be assured that we are committed to conducting the elections on the basis of love for country’s integrity and care for our hard-earned peace,” he promised.
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