None of the above: ‘In democracy, there is no right to reject’

Khosa urges ECP to exclude option which ‘undermines politicians’.

LAHORE:

Latif Khosa, the Pakistan Peoples Party secretary general, on Thursday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to not put the ‘none of the above’ option on the ballot as it would “jeopardise democracy”.

“It would amount to facilitating, by default, the sordid agenda of anti-democratic forces and non-state actors against democracy,” a press release quoted him as saying.

The ECP is bound by the Constitution to uphold the democratic process and therefore it should guard the ‘sanctity of the ballot paper’, he said.

Khosa said the inclusion of the option, which “undermines politicians”, would give voters “the right to reject along with right to vote”. “There is no right to reject in [a] democracy,” he said.

The PPP secretary general said the option would also discourage voters and could result in a much lower turnout, which in turn, would give anti-democratic forces an opportunity to intervene.

Khosa said politicians from all mainstream parties had expressed their reservations about the ECP’s decision and therefore the commission should review it.

“Its inclusion may deprive the people of Pakistan [of their right to] democracy,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2013.