Biometric technology as an electoral security tool to combat fraud, has been topical in our news, ever since the contentious 2020 elections. For the aforesaid technology, which utilises our unique physical and biological characteristics, has applications in computer science, hospitality, and mobile phone apps. In fact, biometric technology, which also has application in airport security, capitalises on these unique biological characteristics, including fingerprint mapping, facial recognition, retinal scanning etc. As a result, biometric technology, undoubtedly in common use, has a critical role in electoral security, since biometric identity is unique to an individual, even in the case of identical twins.
And it’s for these reasons, biometric technology, capitalised on in airport security, has similar application in many international and regional countries’ electoral processes, including Saint Kitts, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago etc. Thus, being cognisant of the critical role biometric technology plays in electoral integrity, along with the excruciating memories of the illegalities and irregularities in our last election, APNU & AFC have been vehemently arguing the case for this technology employment, in our forthcoming elections. However, despite the invaluable role biometric technology plays internationally in electoral processes, PPP installed after our most recent contentious elections, stand as an immovable roadblock to the introduction of this authentication technology.
In fact, it’s the very PPP, arguing for the maintenance of the corrupted status quo, that stands to benefit from any electoral irregularities and illegalities, which are likely to eventuate in the absence of biometric technology. However, this corrupted status quo, inherently fraught with consequential loopholes, was the underpinning reason for the last election protracted impasse, registering some five months. Nevertheless, despite our long history of bloody election controversies, PPP is conspiring with the unmistakably partisan GECOM, to obstruct the introduction of biometric technology, even as the voters’ list, an undeniable source of controversy, is extraordinarily bloated.
For it’s this bloated voters’ list, to the tune of hundreds of thousands, which underpins the vast majority of our election illegalities, irregularities, and controversies. Thus, being cognisant of this underpinning reason, the rational amongst us have been passionately arguing for a clean voters’ list, along with biometric technology as a beyond reproach authenticator. In fact, to add context to this argument, as of March 1st, 2024, some 706,439 electors populated the voters’ list, even as 780,000 represent our resident population. Which means, from this numerical representation, we stand as the only country in this globular earth and beyond, that has an unbelievable 91% eligible voters’ population: A fertile ground for electoral illegalities, such as multiple voting.
So, even as the masses grapple with the disparities in these voters’ list numbers, we as a nation struggle to rationalise the illegalities and irregularities, brought to the fore in the now infamous 2020 elections. For this infamous election unearthed, or rather resurrected the not so eternal dead, that stood ambulant, voting for PPP in the innumerable hundreds. Additionally, this infamous election, delivered ballot boxes in PPP strongholds, which spontaneously aborted their mandatory statutory documents, in the tens of thousands of electors. Moreover, this infamous election, miraculously registered electors who were geolocated in foreign lands, however, being able to cast multiple ballots by the thousands in our 83000 sq miles.
Now, considering the aforementioned illegalities and irregularities, brought to the fore in the 2020 elections, it would be of a great folly to argue, that the system of manual electors’ identification has worked. However, that is the asinine argument of PPP, even as the rational masses counter-argued, the system did fail in 2020, and is likely to fail in 2025, without a clean voters’ list, authenticated by biometric technology. In fact, despite PPP obstructionist approach to biometric technology, it remains in common use, being employed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, along with usage on our smartphones, banking apps, hotels, computers, among other smart technologies.
Thus, it’s for these reasons, this column will join APNU & AFC in demanding a clean voters’ list, and an election where biometric technology, not foreign to the masses as PPP argues, is being utilised.
