Anthony 'Tony' Myers, Gleaner WriterPOLITICIANS, THE world over, live for votes and too often make critical choices affecting the lives of ordinary citizens with nothing more than winning votes in mind.
Today the spotlight is on bogus voting in the constituencies of all those who are currently seeking the highest office in the land - Prime Minister, whether it be on account of the retirement of P.J. Patterson or general election due in 2007.
The five contenders and their respective constituencies (past and present) are Peter Phillips - St. Andrew East Central; Portia Simpson Miller - St. Andrew South West; Omar Davies - St. Andrew South, and Enoch Karl Blythe - Westmoreland Central.
Opposition Leader, Bruce Golding, is also a contender, but his section of the race is not due to begin before 2007, despite putting the Jamaica Labour Party on election alert come January. Mr. Golding's constituencies, past and present, span St. Catherine Western, South West, South Central, Central and Kingston Western.
ELECTION FRAUD
For more than five decades since our first parliamentary general election in 1944, we have had disagreements, charges and counter-charges by the two major political parties as to the conduct of our electoral system. The history of fraudulent behaviour and over-voting dates back to 1947 and 1959, respectively. However, in spite of the rape of our democracy in the parliamentary general elections of 1959 and 1967, it was not until the 1974 KSAC and Parish Councils' general elections that any reference was made to electoral malpractices, when the then Chief Electoral Officer, R. C. Roxburgh, in his general comments said, "A subsequent check on the return from polling stations reveal that in the electoral division of Tivoli Gardens in Western Kingston the number of votes cast exceeded the number of votes on the list, by a small margin in each case, in 12 polling stations. In each of these stations, the electors apply for ballots after other persons had voted in their names."
Supporters of the PNP will say this is where it all started. On the other hand, supporters of the JLP will say it started on July 28, 1959, when the JLP alleged that "even the dead voted for the PNP" in that said election.
Let us now focus on the constituencies of the current leadership contenders.
PETER PHILLIPS CONGRATULATED BY EOJ
The constituency of St. Andrew East Central under the stewardship of Dr. Peter Phillips voted overwhelmingly for the PNP in the April 26, 1994 by-election that ushered the goodly Dr. Phillips into the House of Parliament. Of the 119 polling stations, only one over-voted, Polling Station #68.
In the 1997 parliamentary general election, the incumbent had an absolute majority of 73.1 per cent. It is interesting to note that of the 130 polling stations, not one over-voted - voter turnout 55 per cent. In the October 16, 2002 general election, Peter Phillips once again retained the seat for the PNP polling 65.9 per cent of the accepted ballots. The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), said MP Phillips and the constituents of East Central St. Andrew must be congratulated as there was no over-voting in any of the 133 polling stations.
ST. ANDREW SOUTH WEST - NO. 1 FOR BOGUS VOTING IN THE EARLY YEARS
In the general elections of 1976 and 1980, the constituency of St. Andrew South West reigned supreme as the number one bogus voting constituency. In the 1980 general election, over-voting reached a "new low" when the constituency of St. Andrew South West, with a registration of 20,992, had a voter turnout of 22,055 (105.1 per cent). Of the 136 polling stations, there were over-voting in 65.
The records show that after 1980, South West St. Andrew started on the high road of electoral integrity as the voter turnout for 1989 was 97.5 per cent and voter excesses took place in only 43 polling stations. Come 1993, the voter turnout was 93.5 per cent with over-voting in only two polling stations. In 1997, there was a 82 per cent turnout with only one polling station - #74 - with 63 electors on list and 65 voted. What a dramatic turnaround!
Let us see what happened on October 16, 2002. Of the 20,102 electors on list, 10,483 voted (52.2 per cent); not one polling station over-voted. Remarkable indeed. Once again, it is perfectly in order to congratulate the Member of Parliament, Portia Simpson Miller, the Electoral Office of Jamaica and indeed the electors of St. Andrew South West.
DAVIES BRINGS BOGUS VOTING UNDER CONTROL
The constituency of St. Andrew South stands out like a sore thumb when put under the microscope for over-voting. It is the only constituency in Jamaica that exceeded the number of electors on list in votes cast in two parliamentary general elections. In the October 30, 1980 general election, there were 20,450 electors on list, 20,761 voted (101.5 per cent). There were over-voting in 64 of the 138 polling stations. This dastardly act was repeated in 1989 when 20,124 (101.1 per cent) voted; the number of registered voters on the list being 19,911, an excess of 213. Of the 163 polling stations, there were over-voting in 97 (59.5 per cent). This constituency has a history of high voter turnout. 1976 - 99.8 per cent and 1993 - 97.1 per cent.
Under the stewardship of Dr. Omar Davies 1993-2002 the culture of over-voting was brought under the microscope and addressed in a very serious way. In the by-election of November 30, 1993, of the 23,886 electors on list, only 13,741 voted 57.5 per cent. It is interesting to note that the JLP did not contest, consequently, the community of Rema which is a strong JLP enclave did not cast one single vote. Omar Davies received 99.8 per cent of the accepted ballots. The UPP and the RP received 0.1 per cent each. In 1997, the voter turnout was 92.6 per cent with Omar Davies receiving 91.8 per cent of the accepted ballots, the JLP candidate, Dennis A. Messias, 7.9 per cent and the late John D. Causwell (NDM) 0.3 per cent.
It is interesting to note that during the period, December 1976 and March 30, 1993, the residents of Rema voted heavily for the JLP but in the December 18, 1997 general election, the incumbent, Dr. Omar Davies, received significant support in the JLP stronghold of Rema. There was a significant reduction in the number of polling stations that over-voted. Only 30 of the 170 polling stations had excesses. In the October 16, 2002 general elections, of the 18,028 electors on list, 75.2 per cent voted. The incumbent, Omar Davies, received 90.9 per cent of the accepted ballots to the JLP Dennis Messias 9.1 per cent. Of the 168 polling stations, only one polling station #45 over-voted. Once again, credit must be given to the Member of Parliament under whose stewardship this constituency with its long history of over-voting have now seen the light, the integrity light. The Electoral Office of Jamaica and the constituents of St. Andrew South must also be congratulated.
WESTMORELAND - FREE AND FAIR
Westmoreland Central, apart from being a rural constituency, is among those constituencies that stand out as a beacon of hope for an electoral system that will be free and fair and free from fear in the not-too-distant future. The term bogus voting is a foreign language to Dr. Enoch Karl Blythe's Central Westmoreland constituency.
Those of us who firmly believe in the preservation of our democratic institutions must stand up and be counted with the people of Westmoreland Central. We must continue to battle on for an electoral system that the people of Jamaica can say with pride, we have a democratic institution in which we can repose the level of confidence in the integrity of its workings. As I have often said, this is the only route, the only path that can take us from the den of tribalistic tendencies to the new heights of social and economic justice for the whole society.
CHANGING TIMES IN WEST KINGSTON
In 1972, Bruce Golding won the constituency of St. Catherine Western, defeating the PNP candidate Prince Golding by 893 votes voter turnout 81.8 per cent. A careful examination of the 90 polling divisions revealed a strict adherence to free and fair elections, not one polling station over-voted. In 1976, Bruce Golding failed to win the newly created constituency of South West St. Catherine for the JLP. He was defeated by Ruddy Lawson (PNP), by a margin of 1,934 votes. There were five polling stations where over-voting took place. Of the five polling stations, there was a tie in one, the PNP dominated three and the JLP the other.
In 1983, Bruce Golding was once again in Parliament, not having contested the 1980 general election, as he was elected unopposed by acclamation to represent the constituency of St. Catherine South Central in the 1983 snap election. In the February 9, 1989 general election, Bruce Golding defeated Vincent Edwards, PNP by a massive 5,210 majority. Of the 129 polling stations, there were over-voting in 27 (20.9 per cent); ranging from 100.6 per cent in polling station #33A to 165.2 per cent in polling station #51.
In 1993 Bruce Golding retained the Central St. Catherine constituency defeating Clinton Davy (PNP) by a majority of 10,485 votes voter turnout 85.96 per cent. Of the 104 polling stations, 13 over-voted ranging from 100.9 per cent to 134.6 per cent.
Although Mr. Bruce Golding was not the candidate for the October 16, 2002 general election for the Western Kingston constituency, it is prudent to look at the number of polling stations that over-voted. Of the 16,580 electors on list, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga polled 84.2 per cent of the accepted ballots to defeat Joseph Witter (PNP) who polled 15.7 per cent. It is interesting to note that this constituency that is so often maligned by its detractors only had five polling stations over-voting out of 162. This is indeed a dramatic transformation and augurs well for the future.
In 1995 Bruce Golding walked away from a political system that, in his opinion, was retrogressive rather than progressive, as it relates to the social and economic development of the people. It, therefore, came as a surprise when he not only returned to the JLP but accepted an invitation from the incumbent MP Edward Seaga to contest a by-election for the West Kingston seat. The by-election was held on April 13, 2005. A careful examination of the voting pattern revealed a 55.6 per cent voter turnout with Bruce Golding polling 87.6 per cent of the accepted ballots, and to the eternal credit of Mr. Seaga who had laid the foundation and now the new Member of Parliament, Bruce Golding, there was not one polling station that over-voted.
Anthony 'Tony' Myers is a statistician/political analyst.
