By Alex Yomah
Henry Petro Costa has described the National Elections Commission (NEC) update on the first phase of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise was a disaster.
He accused the NEC of failing to deliver on its mandate to provide a fair, transparent, and efficient voter registration process stating, “We saw numerous system failures, including malfunctioning biometric machines, and a lack of properly trained staff.”
According to him, the outcome of this flawed exercise is already evident in the low turnout of individuals eligible to register to vote on October 10, particularly in areas where these failures were most pronounced.
“This is unacceptable and considerably calls into question the integrity of the electoral process in Liberia,” he stated.
He further mentioned that the time allotted to conduct the first phase of the voter registration, especially in the most populous county of Montserrado, was very insufficient and that also, there was the issue of inaccessibility of registration centers which saw far too many persons having to travel long distances, especially in the rural areas only to be told after making the long and hard journeys that, “the system is down.’
“This is a clear attempt to disenfranchise certain segments of the population and undermine the democratic process. “In light of this, let me strongly re-echo the fervent call by the leader of the opposition, former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, that the voter registration period be extended to allow all eligible Liberians to register so that they may be able to exercise their God-given, constitutionally-guaranteed franchise in the all-important October 10, 2023, General and Presidential Elections,” he alarmed.
“As we move forward to the second phase of the biometric voter registration exercise, we demand that the NEC do a much better job,” Coata added.
He stated that the NEC must ensure that the exercise is conducted with fairness, transparency, and efficiency and must take steps to address the system failures that plagued the first phase and put in place measures to prevent voter suppression.
Meanwhile, he emphasized that the grinding poverty that continues to afflict Liberians, more so now than probably ever in the nation’s history, weighs heavily on him as on all well-meaning Liberians.
“We are not oblivious of the perennial and sad realities that Liberia has always been one of the poorest countries in the world, with over 60° of the population almost always living below the poverty line, but the inexcusably patent incompetence underpinned by woeful negligence and breakdown in law and order, coupled with the lack of leadership by President George Weah, has only exacerbated the situation,” Costa states.
He said, the widespread prevalence of our children on the streets selling candies, cold water, and biscuits, to name a few, rather than being in a school where they should be productively molded as our future leaders, is beyond heartbreaking.
“Today, Liberians are suffering more than they have ever suffered at any point in our peacetime existence as a country. Unemployment rates remain high, and corruption is rampant, thus undermining the country’s economic potential. The future of Liberia is at stake, and we cannot afford to let it slip away,” Costa noted.
“We, therefore, call on all Liberians from all walks of life, to come together under the banner of patriotism and nationalism to rescue our dear country,” he added.
“It is time for us to put aside our differences and focus on the common good. We need a leadership that is capable, prudent, and compassionate to break our country and people free from the shackles of corruption, bad governance, and dehumanizing poverty,” he reiterated.
“We need a leader who will put the interests of Liberians first, who will work tirelessly to improve the lives of our people, and who will ensure that the democratic process is upheld,” Costa said.
