Monrovia – As the voters registration process nears an end, the special representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Liberia has called for a scaling up in civic and voters education.
Report by Bettie Johnson Mbayo, [email protected]
“What we recommend is the need for more civic education on the part of the Civil Society Organizations, National Elections Commission and Government of Liberia because there is the need to continuously educates people on the voters registration.”
Ambassador Babatunde O. Ajisomo said if such is done, it would help increase the number of registered voters.
He spoke when several ECOWAS Ambassadors, including the Ambassador of South Africa to Liberia, Vanapalan Punjanathan MOODLEY on Wednesday toured numerous polling centers in four communities in the country.
The tour was done in West Point, New Kru Town, Logan Town and Duala communities.
Ambassador Ajisomo also called on communities to get involved in the registration process no matter whatever disenchantment against the government, adding that it is their constitutional duty to do so.
He said their observation of the process was smoothly done, commending NEC for the improvement.
“We discover that some people who are not naturalized Liberians went to register but were denied by NEC polling staff. So we hope as they go to polling centers, they will carry their legal documents so as to establish their citizenship.”
He continued: “If you don’t have effective registration exercise, it will be difficult to have transparent and fair election. There is lot of lesson to learn after the exercise.”
He disclosed that at the polling centers, they observed more females registering than males.
“The four places we visited, we saw more women registering than men; but men need to come out. We hope during the election they will come out and vote because when you register, you have the power to exercise your right.”
He added that the GOL has tried but said more needs to be done mostly on the funding process, calling on donors and partners to help NEC so as to ensure a free, fair, transparent peaceful election.
At the same time the South African Ambassador Vanapalan Punjanathan MOODLEY commended the NEC for creating an environment for Liberians to partake in the election.
“The VR process is an integral part and we must understand that the NEC will make mistake and they are taking over the general election so the support they will have now wouldn’t be like the past,” he added.