Oh, I get it now; really get it!
You see, when the President came back from the WEF meeting at Davos, he expressed frustration and anger at opposition political parties for launching petitions against the 2019 general elections. He fumed that the people who were disputing election results were the very same people who had opposed, and caused cancellation of, the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
To me it was incomprehensible that the President could start associating the petitions with the EVMs when the courts of law had only just started hearing the petition cases; when no one had yet had a chance to brief him by unpacking the allegations contained in the petitions. I just couldn't get it.
Well, this weekend's newspaper, Mmegi "The Reporter" has enlightened me somewhat, about what could be going on in the President's mind. The paper carries a story headlined "Electronic voter registration mooted". Evidently, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) this past week hosted a post-election evaluation workshop for stakeholders at Avani Hotel, where imbecility was splashed with reckless abandon on the red carpet and the stakeholders invited to lap it up.
According to the paper, different stakeholders "called for a need" to introduce Electronic Voter Registration (EVR), and to embrace it for the 2024 general elections. Reasons given for introduction of EVR varied, but the common thread was an attempt to exploit the ignorance of some stakeholders about anything electronic and present EVR as the solution to the election flaws that the opposition collective has always complained about during elections. And the barrage of lies was quite intelligently targeted. For example "This could help in a situation where a voter has registered in Gabane, but finds his or her name in a different constituency", obviously aimed at Alliance for Progressives (AP)'s Pius Mokgware. Note the enticing but baseless claim that "The system will help to ensure that names of registered voters are well captured in the voters' roll. IEC should review the procedures for vote counting such that it is done at polling stations and results posted there". Of significance is the reaction of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party to the proposals: "Even though we did not attend that meeting, the electronic voter registration would be a good move. It could also speed up the process of registration and curb voter trafficking which we always complain about as Politicians". Thankfully, the opposition collective refused to lap up the imbecility. "I do not think it will be advisable for us to comment on that issue", spokesman Moeti Mohwasa said. Other opposition leaders were similarly reluctant to embrace the EVR.
In reality there is no such thing as electronic voter registration (EVR). There is only voter registration. In this day and age how can one divorce any type of registration from being electronic, anyway? The term was introduced purely to trick the opposition into letting the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in through the backdoor. I don't believe that the President is involved in these underhand deceitful machinations at all! Rather, I suspect that his bundling together of the EVM and election petitions is attributable to the stem "elect..." in the words "electronic (voting machine)" and "election (petitions)". If you factor in the President's enthusiasm for the made-in-Botswana "electric" car, you begin to get a pattern of innocent confusion caused by technological shortcomings and possibly, a lethargic Presidential briefing contingent. Yea, now I get it!
To me it was incomprehensible that the President could start associating the petitions with the EVMs when the courts of law had only just started hearing the petition cases; when no one had yet had a chance to brief him by unpacking the allegations contained in the petitions. I just couldn't get it.
Well, this weekend's newspaper, Mmegi "The Reporter" has enlightened me somewhat, about what could be going on in the President's mind. The paper carries a story headlined "Electronic voter registration mooted". Evidently, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) this past week hosted a post-election evaluation workshop for stakeholders at Avani Hotel, where imbecility was splashed with reckless abandon on the red carpet and the stakeholders invited to lap it up.
According to the paper, different stakeholders "called for a need" to introduce Electronic Voter Registration (EVR), and to embrace it for the 2024 general elections. Reasons given for introduction of EVR varied, but the common thread was an attempt to exploit the ignorance of some stakeholders about anything electronic and present EVR as the solution to the election flaws that the opposition collective has always complained about during elections. And the barrage of lies was quite intelligently targeted. For example "This could help in a situation where a voter has registered in Gabane, but finds his or her name in a different constituency", obviously aimed at Alliance for Progressives (AP)'s Pius Mokgware. Note the enticing but baseless claim that "The system will help to ensure that names of registered voters are well captured in the voters' roll. IEC should review the procedures for vote counting such that it is done at polling stations and results posted there". Of significance is the reaction of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party to the proposals: "Even though we did not attend that meeting, the electronic voter registration would be a good move. It could also speed up the process of registration and curb voter trafficking which we always complain about as Politicians". Thankfully, the opposition collective refused to lap up the imbecility. "I do not think it will be advisable for us to comment on that issue", spokesman Moeti Mohwasa said. Other opposition leaders were similarly reluctant to embrace the EVR.
In reality there is no such thing as electronic voter registration (EVR). There is only voter registration. In this day and age how can one divorce any type of registration from being electronic, anyway? The term was introduced purely to trick the opposition into letting the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in through the backdoor. I don't believe that the President is involved in these underhand deceitful machinations at all! Rather, I suspect that his bundling together of the EVM and election petitions is attributable to the stem "elect..." in the words "electronic (voting machine)" and "election (petitions)". If you factor in the President's enthusiasm for the made-in-Botswana "electric" car, you begin to get a pattern of innocent confusion caused by technological shortcomings and possibly, a lethargic Presidential briefing contingent. Yea, now I get it!
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