By Jamal Madar
The European Union gave millions of Euros in aid to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in order to carry out voter registration campaign throughout Somaliland. However, the first cash installment of that aid did not only disappear into a bottomless blackhole of incompetence and corruption but had led to the disastrous failure of the entire voter registration.
The voter registration started in October 2008 and was basically intended to ensure that everyone entitled to vote could do so, to prevent ineligible persons from voting, and to guard against multiple voting by the same individual. The accuracy of a voter register is therefore a key element in ensuring that all qualified constituents can enjoy the right to vote.
Sadly, the entire process has been a shambles from start to finish. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of people had been disadvantaged or disenfranchised simply because the whole process was not entirely properly thought out. It was therefore doomed from the start to fail. Procedures were not carefully planned and implemented and as a result the data of hundreds of thousands of people i.e. finger prints, photos and other personal details were either missing or accidentally or deliberately deleted; the server that was meant to process the images and fingerprints to detect double votes still lacks properly trained and knowledgeable people to operate it and the mysterious announcement by the Head of the Voter Registration Bureau that the Awdal region digital voter list jumped from the NEC’s original figure of 134,000 to 180,000 overnight further muddied the waters. This was the last nail in the coffin of the voter registration.
The government’s constant meddling in the internal affairs of the NEC is responsible for this utter mess.
Clearly, the voter registration process was used as a ploy by Rayale and his henchmen to create chaos and confusion in an apparent attempt to pave the ground for the postponement of the presidential election at a later date. Surely, Rayale and his unscrupulous gang have succeeded with flying colors to achieve their goals.
The intermediary agency, INTERPEACE, which the EU money was held in its bank account was consistently unable to account for hundreds of thousands of Euros spent by the NEC thus far. However, Interpeace was used and abused by the Rayale government to advance its political ends to postpone the presidential election. It involved itself deep into the rough and tumble of Somaliland politics.
In a nutshell, the EU funds have been siphoned off; there is no credible voters’ register, the so-called server is not functioning and the government willfully failed to fully pay its share of the voter registration expenses.
As a result of this failed EU-funded project, the presidential election that was scheduled to take place on 29 March 2009 is unlikely to happen for many months to come. The notion that somehow the election will occur on 31st May 2009, as the NEC officially announced recently is simply not credible.
It was ‘the European Union who blindly insisted on Somaliland voter registration without understanding its traditions’. It is therefore fair to say the EU is part and parcel of the problem in Somaliland today.
Now the onus is on the EU officials to tell Rayale in no uncertain terms that he should resign from office by the end of his term on 6 April 2009 so that all leaders of the three major political parties can have a level-playing field in a fair and free presidential election.
Failure to do so may lead the country to serious civil disturbances that could destabilize it.
The people of Somaliland will not accept this time around for Rayale to attempt to enter into the office of the presidency through the window.
Jamal Madar
adammadar@yahoo.com

 

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search