EAC bill long overdue, says Peralto
FORMER Jamaica Labour Party Electoral Advisory Committee member Ryan Peralto has welcomed the passing of the bill transforming that committee into a commission of Parliament, saying the move was “long overdue”.
The Bill repealing the Representation of the People (Interim) Act was passed in the Upper House yesterday.
“We will have a better chance of doing the things needed to preserve and protect the democracy because, quite frankly, if we don’t get around to having a voting system so that people can’t impersonate people, your election process is flawed,” Peralto said.
He was speaking with the Observer Thursday in the wake of calls by EAC Chair Professor Errol Miller to have the Bill granting the body commission status passed in yesterday’s sitting of the Senate.
“The difficulty that you have with the electoral system is that as long as it remains dependent on the decisions of any political directorate, it is possible to thwart some of their intentions,” Peralto noted, adding that if the committee was to remain dependent on funding from the executives to do its work this could interfere with the process.
He said having the committee made into a commission would make it “independent of political influence and direction”.
Furthermore, Peralto pointed out that granting the committee commission status held positives for campaign finance reform.
“Somebody is going to have to monitor campaign financing, and since campaign financing has to do with elections, anything concerning elections should be the business of the commission,” he noted.
Peralto also called for the full adaptation of the electronic voter identification machine – which he was instrumental in developing – in the next general elections to further ensure fairness.