By Ali Adam Awale, London UK

Performing a major task demands knowledge and experience. That is why in every advertised vacancy, experience is the main selection factor.

If recruiting a salesman in a small company needs a selection criteria based on proven track record, what kind of selection criteria do we need for a member of our electoral commission who will referee the toughest contest in the land?

If we are seriously looking for a just and fair contest in the forthcoming Local Government and other elections, we must ensure that the election commission has the knowledge and experience to deliver the dream but highly difficult task of free and fair elections.

I believe the current Commission can deliver better service than a fresh one because of the following reasons:

1. the current Commission have the knowledge and experience needed to undertake the tough task of organizing and holding elections
2. They have overseen three previous elections and learned how to run elections
3. They worked in partnership with national and international organizations and have the knowledge of networking with these different organizations and how to attain international community’s support.
4. They know the national electoral law and need little or no further training
5. They know the shortcomings of the past elections and can be vigilant to avoid the same mistakes happening again
6. They have the experience of selecting the right supporting staff as they did in the past and can ensure the selection of honest and committed election team
7. They have good knowledge of the business community as they contracted to many of them material and election equipment in the past and know who to trust.
8. They have the knowledge and experience of dealing with the contesting parties and their supporters
9. They have the knowledge and experience that certain elements in the public will try to influence the election results and can deal with them firmly
10. They have the knowledge and experience of managing the electoral budget as they have done it three times before.

There are many more points to support the need for sustainability of the commission and I will not finish all day if I try to cover them all. However, it is important to note that I agree with the idea of adjusting (increasing) the size of the Commission to up to 13 members in order to have 2 members in each region at election times.

I believe a completely new Electoral commission means starting from Scratch again and can lead the nation to disastrous election mistakes.

I believe all those aiming to run for public office will agree with me that sustaining the current Electoral Commission has 100% better chance of holding a much fairer election than a new Commission simply because experience is wealth and weapon.

The President’s persistence to remove this commission and ignore the elected house of parliament puts serious doubts on his intentions towards the whole idea of free and fair elections. How can we call our country a democratic nation when the President is not paying any respect to the legislations of the elected House? This is a leadership dilemma for the nation.

Justice is the only way forward