Questioning Holding Of Biometric Voter Registration Against Constitution
PHOTO: Amb. Lewis Brown, Chairman Team Cummings for 2023
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Collaborating Political Parties have appealed to the Supreme Court to save Liberia from another crisis by adjudicating what the CPP described as the processing of unconstitutional biometric voters’ registration exercise by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
CPP claimed that the biometric voters’ registration exercise constitutes a violation of the laws because it is being done in the absence of demarcation of new electoral constituencies following the conduct of the national census.
Last week, the CPP petitioned the Supreme Court to investigate and come with a judgment on what the parties termed as unconstitutional processing of biometric voters’ registration by NEC without demarcation of electoral constituencies after the conduct of a national census. But local radio reports quoted the spokesmen of the Judiciary and NRC as saying that the two institutions had not received the CPP’s petition in question.
Addressing a press conference in Monrovia, the Chairman of Team Cummings for 2023, Lewis Brown has cautioned the Supreme Court not to allow the electoral process degenerate in to chaos before things go out of order.
Ambassador Brown pointed out that a political collaboration, cloth with the authority, filed a petition to the Supreme Court drawing its attention to the unconstitutional behavior by the National Elections Commission.
“One week later, street jurors are discussing the petition, but the Supreme Court is yet to issue an assignment to the parties for the case, so they can ruled or hand down a verdict and so we can know whether we will have law and order.”
“Already, at many of the so-call voters’ registration centers,” he went on, “confusion, chaos and violence have broken out at some of the center and the court cannot be silent with events unfolding in the country.”
“The Supreme Court cannot pretend that there is not an urgent issue before it and if the highest court suppress or refuses hear such an important issue now ; how sure a bench will hear appeals that will come out of these elections?” he asked.
“What option do want the people to take when they have put before you, the highest court to determine whether or not the unconstitutionality of the current elections without the demarcation is legitimate?”
It is the Supreme Court that must determine the constitutionality of every agency of government and help sail the elections in to a safe shore
According to him, Liberia is descending into chaos and silence is only acting in the place of lawlessness and people are feeling that it is normal way of life and but it is sending the wrong message that may blow out one day.
“Lawlessness will eventually multiply into chaos and conflict if the institution of government cloth with the authority fails to act even it is requested to act,” he said; adding: “Lawlessness will hurt all of us ultimately if the agency cloth with authority does not want act even it has been requested to do so.”
“If the agency of government fails to act fearlessly, fairly and independently and it fails to do so, then that entity is in fact creating the spring-board for chaos, confusion and conflict in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Ambassador Brown called on President George Weah not to approve the bill passed by the national legislature giving the right for incumbent to take office despite the victory is being challenged.
According to him, there is a bill before the President is intended to create more confusion and political unrest in the country after the nationwide elections.
“Those who themselves will be standing in the election, the legislators, have put a bill before the president at this eleventh hour telling the President to nullify an appeal in effect , when they are declared winners in the elections challenged, but they should be inducted and seated until NEC and Supreme Court can adjudicate the appeal.”
“We are asking the president not sign that bill because it is undemocratic because, automatically, it nullifies the rights for people to appeal.”
Brown called on Liberians to open their eyes and ears because they all own the country together and equally; because an incumbent cannot be allowed to take seat and be passing laws.
He called on Liberians to be fearless because everybody is now afraid to speak on issues of national concern and even officials of the government are scary to talk about the ills prevailing in the country openly.
“Too many people have died for the democracy we are enjoying by now; we have the duty to protect our democracy and nobody will be spared when crisis breaks out.”
Cheating does not start on the day of election; noting: “if the process of election is characterized with cheating and the result will end problematically.”
“There are some of you who believe that Lewis Brown want to disturb; but, we better disturb now than to disturb tomorrow and I am talking now because I have seen this descent into chaos in the past.”
“Election is a trigger for conflict and the best way to prevent a conflict during an election is to put under the protection of the constitution and allow the law to be applied to fairly, independently and fearlessly.”