There may be only a few weeks left before parliamentary elections are held in the country, remedies must be found and all the grey areas bleached or dyed in time to the mutual satisfaction of all. Before that happens, however, there must be thorough scouring and cleaning of the grey areas. There is considerable room for improvement. And clearly the legitimacy of the electoral exercise depends on it. The 2018 election must not only be free and fair but also be seen as such by all those taking part and the wider segments of society as well as the outside world.
The report — undertaken between between April 2017 and March 2018 — carries a not so subtle warning that the prospects for fairness of the remaining phases of the electoral process would be in danger if the current trend of perception of unfairness continues. The ugly face of manipulation has been seen just too many times in the past. Apart from stigmatising the process and muddying the pool, it has earned the country precious little. That is why it is important to pursue in earnest a robust democratic process and allow political parties to contest freely, fairly and without fear of intimidation.
The way forward is ensuring state institutions remain within their constitutional and legal limits and do not cross the same any time before, during and after the polls. The fidelity of the elections rests on the collective integrity of the Election Commission, the media and members of the civil society. We must turn our back on the past and banish all kinds of manipulation from the electoral process. Now is a good time to start.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2018.
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