{"id":168160,"date":"2023-01-25T12:20:08","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T16:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=168160"},"modified":"2023-01-25T12:20:08","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T16:20:08","slug":"commentary-getting-it-right-preserving-our-democracy-is-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/commentary-getting-it-right-preserving-our-democracy-is-important\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMENTARY: Getting It Right & Preserving Our Democracy Is Important"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

Getting It Right & Preserving Our Democracy Is Important<\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

By Audley Phillip<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t\u00a0comment on key aspects of the Commonwealth Observer Interim report which they completed and handed over to the\u00a0Government at the end of the last General\u00a0Elections.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
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Election observation is a valuable tool\u00a0for improving the quality of elections.\u00a0 Observers help to build public confidence in the honesty of the electoral process.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

It is not just a one day task and the quality of the electoral process has to be continuously\u00a0reassessed\u00a0 and improved.<\/p>\n

I think that\u00a0it is counter productive\u00a0to continue to invite observers if we continue to ignore their salient\u00a0 recommendations for upgrading and improving the process.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

I hope that everyone would take the time to read their thought provoking recommendations as they can only help strengthen our electoral process and by virtue our democracy.<\/p>\n

Here are their recommendations word for word:<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

RECOMMENDATIONS<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

However, certain key elements of internationally recommended standards must be looked into and I will only focus on three in this preliminary statement:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Strong Institutions:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For democracy to thrive and be fully functional, there needs to be a clear separation of powers. With the evolution of democracy in Antigua and Barbuda, emphasis now needs to be put on good governance based on the framework of independence, transparency, oversight and accountability.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The Media<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      There is a need to de-politicize the media landscape. It must be free, fair and inclusive. There is an urgent requirement to strengthen the regulatory framework. It is not proper to give unrestricted access to the government, while limiting the access to other parties.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Transparency; The Representation of The People (Amendment) Act<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Appropriate steps must be taken to ensure accuracy and transparency as it pertains to:<\/p>\n

        – Timely publication and updating of the voter\u2019s list;<\/p>\n

        – Balancing the protection of voters\u2019 data with the right of the public and all parties to access and challenge the voter\u2019s list;<\/p>\n

        – The efficiency of the tallying process by counting ballots at the polling stations;<\/p>\n

        Now you judge for yourself where we are. We still have a long road to travel in order to get it right.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Getting It Right & Preserving Our Democracy Is Important By Audley Phillip It would be remiss of me if I didn’t\u00a0comment on key aspects of the Commonwealth Observer Interim report which they completed and handed over to the\u00a0Government at the end of the last General\u00a0Elections. Election observation is a valuable tool\u00a0for improving the quality of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCOMMENTARY: Getting It Right & Preserving Our Democracy Is Important - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/commentary-getting-it-right-preserving-our-democracy-is-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"COMMENTARY: Getting It Right & Preserving Our Democracy Is Important\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getting It Right & Preserving Our Democracy Is Important By Audley Phillip It would be remiss of me if I didn’t\u00a0comment on key aspects of the Commonwealth Observer Interim report which they completed and handed over to the\u00a0Government at the end of the last General\u00a0Elections. 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