Who is Gappy Fooling?
TV viewers were shocked on Sunday to hear the Electoral Commissioner saying on SBC that it is the responsibility of political parties to ensure that the electoral roll is “credible”.
The office of the Electoral Commissioner has been in existence since 1993 (14 years) and since then the Electoral Commissioner has failed to ensure that the electoral register is credible, transparent and up to date. Visits in the districts to ascertain that the people who’s names appear on the register are indeed alive and residing in their respective districts have been non-existent leading many to question the credibility of the electoral register. Further, the Office of the Commissioner has failed to do the following:
1. Introduce an electronic register albeit with limited information such as the name and addresses of the voters like
2. Consult with political parties in respect of issues concerning the electoral register.
3. Have the electoral register certified only after all political parties have expressed satisfaction with its credibility after due consultation. Otherwise elections will remain flawed and questionable leading many people (8000 at the last count) not to vote at all because the result is already a “fait accompli” even before the election commences.
The SNP was, therefore, right to raise its concern to Hendrix Gappy about the deficiencies and inadequacies of the electoral register. However, the reaction of the electoral Commissioner that it is the responsibility of political parties to ensure that the electoral register is credible has shocked the nation.
Criticisms have also been leveled at the Electoral Commissioner for continuing with the archaic practice of inviting only SBC at press conferences for fear of facing “hard” questions from the independent press which may embarrass his office.
It is hoped that the Commissioner would now take immediate steps to commence updating, correcting, amending and compiling a credible electoral register instead of waiting for an election for him to work. His office receives a relatively monumental budget to work continuously throughout the year to ensure that elections are credible, transparent and fair. It is not asking too much, therefore, to demand that he actually does the job that he is being well paid to do.