Say 'No' to polls violence

There may be nothing, perhaps, that brings out more the worst in some local sections than heated polls campaigns. Unfortunately, the local polity learns very little from history. Despite the impassioned admonitions, time and again, by the more conscience-stricken, including this newspaper, against the use of force in what may be called the polls process, polls in this country have turned out to be fairly 'bloody', to say the least.

This is a thorny matter in the face of which utter helplessness has been displayed by all sections concerned. Political parties are obliged to speak out unambiguously against polls violence and do whatever is practicable to keep the spectre of lawlessness at bay, but they fail abysmally in this exercise. Instead of peaceful polling, we have the law of the wild. Instead of principled electioneering, we have character assassination, mud-slinging and the like which remind us that there is nothing more terrifying than the Heart of Darkness in Man.

We believe the state is obliged to lead from the front in helping to put things right on this score.

It should arrange for a process of consultation with all relevant sections, including the Elections Commission, political parties and the law enforcers, and arrive at a consensus on what needs to be done to ensure a violence and irregularities-free provincial poll. All relevant quarters, as a prelude to this momentous undertaking, would need to rise well above partisan, narrow interests and it is to the degree to which this is realized that polls-linked lawlessness could be curbed.

Accordingly, it would be a step in the right direction to have a code of conduct for polls candidates and other connected personnel and institutions. Once this is worked out, stakeholders, such as, the state, the Elections Commission, political parties and law enforcers, should ensure strict adherence to the code on the part of all who matter in this context.

All this may sound very familiar because the issue of curbing polls-related violence has figured in public discourse times without number and this newspaper has been in the forefront of campaigns, over the years, to have violence-free polls. But we call for fresh efforts to end these ills because a failure to heed our call on these issues could prove fatal when the degree to which local society has been brutalized is taken into consideration. Unless the required precautions are taken, the upcoming provincial polls too could prove stormy.

There are no grounds for complacency on the law and order front. Although the polls campaign is yet to hot-up, none could rest assured that there would be scrupulous adherence, on the part of those campaigning, to the norms and laws that would conduce to civilized polling.

It is in the national interest to ensure a peaceful poll and no stone should be left unturned in the search for ways and means of having a trouble-free election campaign.

There is a dire need to enforce the law rigorously and impartially. Far too many brutalized persons seem to be running for public office; if the number of top officials in Local Government institutions, for instance, who are behind bars for grave offences, such as rape, is anything to go by. Apparently, there is no fool-proof system of choosing the best in the land to vie for public office. The result is shameful and criminal behaviour by some 'representatives of the people.'

Considering that power and pelf are very much at stake in these polls, one should not be surprised if the penchant for violence is marked in many who are in the running for plum positions at the different layers of government. For many in the 'running', therefore, these campaigns are a do or die battle of the most brutal kind.

Need we say more? If the possibility is there of lawlessness being unleashed, every precaution must be taken to ensure that we have nothing of the kind.

The country's economic health is reportedly sound and the state must ensure that things remain this way. Lawlessness must be shown the door without hesitation if the prosperity that is yearned for is to be made a solid reality.