Dear Editor,
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa recently held national elections. This is the first election in the history of that country where an opposition party managed to unseat the incumbent ruling party in what is broadly believed to be free and fair elections. President Goodluck Jonathan should be commended for so graciously accepting defeat at the polls.
This speaks well for democracy in Africa where tribal and religious differences were exploited for political ends. In the case of Nigeria tension between Muslims and Christians and the murderous and destructive role played by Boko Haram no doubt influenced voting behaviour and voter turnout.
One philanthropist has set up a fund to reward those African leaders who practise democracy and show respect for the rule of law in an effort to encourage African leaders to play by the rules of democracy.
Democracy is about respecting the will of the majority in certified free and fair elections and any departure from this time-honoured tradition is fraught with danger. This is why it is so important for all political parties to accept the verdict of the majority and to avoid that tendency to lull party supporters into a false sense of victory even before the elections are held. The elections are only over when the last vote is counted and the results declared by the competent authority – in our case the Guyana Elections Commission.
Casting doubt over the integrity of the elections and the electoral processes when there is no credible basis for so doing is counterproductive and could only do harm to our image as a fledgling democracy.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
