Somaliland
Enters Historic Era(Moment of Truth On Election Day)
Dr.
Mohamed Osman Nur
As the Somaliland moves toward democracy, the means of public political
participation have increased over time. The most fundamental method of the
participation is participation in democratic elections. This includes
participation as a voter, as a candidate, and as a supporter of a candidate or
political party.
Universal suffrage is common in most parts of the world today, and elections are
becoming more competitive. The competition can make it difficult for governments
and electoral managers to maintain election integrity since some candidates who
are not able to succeed in free or fair elections can turn to fraud,
intimidation, and discrimination in order to assure a win. Despite these
difficulties, most governments and election managers make substantial efforts to
ensure election integrity, so that free and fair elections may be guaranteed to
every citizen.
The free flow of information is an essential part of a free and fair election.
The media is often used to disseminate electoral information, and as such, plays
several very important roles. It provides information on the electoral process
to the citizens. It covers the campaigns of the candidates and provides analysis
of their platforms. It acts as a watchdog and investigates election fraud and
corrupt practices. It is also used by the political parties, candidates and
special interest groups to influence the public through political advertising;
the objective being to gain public support for themselves or their positions,
and that this public support translates into votes on election day.
The power of the media to reach so many potential voters, and the faith of the
citizens in what it reads in the newspapers, hears on the radio and sees on TV,
gives the media a responsibility towards the public to provide accurate, fair
and balanced reporting, and in its advertising, to ensure equal access and
treatment to all.
Public Enlightenment
According to the Society of Professional Journalists, the primary role of the
media in a democracy is public enlightenment which is "the forerunner of
justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to
further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive
account of events and issues.
This role is supported by the Associated Press which states in its code of
ethics: "The public's right to know about matters of importance is
paramount. The newspaper has a special responsibility as surrogate of its
readers to be a vigilant watchdog of legitimate public interests.
Some of the other roles played by the media to help ensure election integrity:
Voter information
Voters learn about the electoral process through the coverage provided by the
media on the elections, the candidates and their platforms, as well as through
the political advertising done through the media. The media's coverage and
analysis of the process, the candidates, and the thoughts of the voters, helps
educate the public on how the process works, how integrity can be maintained and
who is accountable for what.
The media's comparison of platforms with candidate records and actions provides
information to voters that they can use to make an informed choice on election
day. The media can also publicize the dates, time and location for campaign
events, voter registration and polling.
Integrity Watchdog
Through its investigative role, the media can uncover fraud and corruption and
add transparency to the electoral process. The Society of Professional
Journalists believe that the media needs to "recognize a special obligation
to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that
government records are open to inspection
Enables candidates to reach voters with their campaign information
In a fair election, the voters need access to information from all candidates so
that they can make an informed choice on election day. The media can give
candidates an equal opportunity to reach the voters. Through its news coverage,
the media provides free publicity of electoral events and campaigns. However,
most political parties and candidates competing in elections, as well as
lobbyists and others with a special interest, will supplement this news coverage
with paid political advertisements done through the mass media. This makes money
for newspapers and broadcasters, and helps disseminate information to the
voters. However, it can also raise integrity issues such as:
the amount of money it now takes to run a media campaign and the integrity
issues involved with the raising and spending of this money; and the perception
in a growing number of countries that elections are being won by the person who
spends the most money.
access to advertising space. Most countries require equal access to the media
for advertising purposes. But partisan papers or broadcasters can give
preferential treatment to large advertisers, ruling parties or partisan friends.
content of advertising: whether the political advertisements are truthful and
help ensure a good atmosphere for the process, or if they are deceitful and hurt
the integrity of the process and campaign.
Good Luck,
Dr. Mohamed Osman Nur (Shacabi)=
Email:shacabi@yahoo.com
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