A new national population census should be conducted as a matter of urgency to clean up the voters’ list, the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) demanded on Wednesday.
Several voters had complained that their names were missing from the list or had been placed in another constituency, denying them the chance to vote in last Wednesday’s general election.
General Secretary Dennis De Peiza delivered a scathing criticism of the process at a press conference at the umbrella body’s headquarters.
“It’s nothing short of a national disgrace, what transpired in relation to the voters’ list of Barbados,” he told reporters.
“We believe that wherever the errors were committed, it’s not too late to correct them now, that it should never happen again.”
A national census would allow authorities to properly clean up and verify the current voters’ list, he argued.
A national census is traditionally conducted at the start of each decade, meaning the next population count is due in 2030.
De Peiza said: “I’m one of those persons who can attest that something was wrong. Even in my own home, my son, who is deceased, we received correspondence for him to go and vote… but this has shown that there’s something wrong, that we cannot even account for those who are no longer with us.”
He also pointed to reports of Barbadians living overseas who remain on the voters’ list but were unable to participate in the election.
The CTUSAB general secretary warned that continued irregularities could damage Barbados’ democratic reputation.
“We cannot send the world signals that we are going to be practising a system of fairness, and when there’s some blatant irregularities, we proceed as doing nothing.
It cannot send a good signal, and I think that we’ve got to take the moral road,” he said.
De Peiza also rejected suggestions that voters should cast ballots simply to ensure the presence of an opposition in Parliament.
“We cannot start implanting in the minds of our citizens on whom to vote for an opposition,” he said. “CTUSAB understands and appreciates the role of an opposition in Parliament, ensuring that effective laws are passed and that alternative solutions can be put forward on matters of policy. It’s important to understand the implications of not having the primary opposition, as this can give rise to unilateral decision-making.”
(LG)
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