This may look innocuous. In fact it might even look reasonable. Bringing the polling stations to the people is what every democrat wants to see. But it is not as straightforward as that.
The real reason Zanu (PF) wants this situation is so that it makes it easier to tell how people in any particular area voted.
They will have the names of all the voters of a given polling station. They will know how many voted for them and how many voted for the other parties on the ballot paper.
By a process of elimination it will be easy to tell who would have cast their votes against Zanu (PF). Retribution can be quick and brutal – as has happened in the past. Many still bear the scars from 2008.
Members of Parliament should not vote for this amendment. It must be rejected at all costs. It is undemocratic.
In addition, if this proposal was to be enacted, all Zanu (PF) thugs would need to do is chase away MDC supporters from their area of residence – and this will disenfranchise them. It’s that simple.
There is nothing wrong with the current system where a voter can cast his/her ballot anywhere in his/her constituency. This means, in effect, that when one is chased from his/her home, he/she can still go to another polling station anywhere in the constituency and cast his/her vote away from the tormentors.
It does not take rocket science to know that the voters who will need to move away from their nearest polling station in order to vote safely will be persecuted MDC supporters.
It is imperative that the vote remains secret, and this proposed amendment will compromise that.
The two MDC formations have numerical superiority in Parliament. They must use it. Democracy is at stake here.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga