MANCHESTER:
ALTHOUGH THE date for the Local Government elections has not been announced, Director of Elections Danville Walker and chairman of the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC), Prof. Errol Miller, have been making the rounds across the island meeting with the candidates.
Last week both men addressed candidates and party workers in the parish at the Golf View Hotel and handed out packets of information on election procedures.
Mr. Walker, in his address, said the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) was well prepared to carry out its electoral functions and had made improvements since last October's General Election. He said acts of fraud will be difficult to carry out as just about all the loopholes have been plugged and those who make such attempts will be dealt with by the law.
He also warned candidates and party workers that the EOJ would be intolerant of any intimidation or other acts that can be interpreted as interference with the orderly process of the election. He also said that most complaints of corruption in the last election proved to be without foundation after investigation by his office.
Professor Miller also warned the candidates to be on their best behaviour during the election. According to the EAC chairman, Jamaicans must also stop beating up on themselves by making negative pronouncements about our ability to do things right which is not true. He said that former US President Jimmy Carter, who was in the island to observe the last election with members from the Carter Centre, told him that his team was pleased with the manner in which the election was carried out.
Contending that the October election was free and fair, both Professor Miller and Mr. Walker made clear that tougher and more efficient measures are in place to ensure that persons who want to exercise their vote can do so without apprehension.
There are 30 candidates vying for the 15 Council seats in the parish.
