Congratulations to MP Ivan Collendavelloo for securing his seat after the recount in constituency no 19. His ‘victory’ was largely helped by several magical tricks but congratulations all the same.

I hope, however, that the celebrations are modest and the chest thumping discreet. For his ‘victory’ has taken away with it whatever little credibility was left in a system that had hitherto stood the test of time. Our electoral system as a whole and the institutions responsible for its credibility.

We found out in one day that ballot papers can travel from one constituency to another unnoticed; that 73 other ballot papers can be eaten by rats without leaving any trace behind; that a ballot paper can sneak its way into the ballot box without having the emboss of the Office of the Electoral Commissioner, which is required by law. How were all these miracles allowed to happen? Was David Copperfield in the vicinity playing some incredible magic tricks? All that was brushed under the carpet and the counting went on untrammeled, resulting in a smaller victory of Collendavelloo, in the middle of unabashed – albeit mild – celebrations.

To those who still had some misgivings about writing off a system that has suddenly and unexpectedly fallen into disrepute, the answers to the questions bugging everyone removed any doubt. It is a classic case of passing the buck. So the ‘victorious’ candidate was happy to cash in on his ‘victory’ but had no responsibility in the flagrant irregularities that surfaced during the recount: “It’s up to the electoral commissioner, the Electoral Commission and the returning officer to take their responsibility.” And the electoral commissioner, the one who is ultimately responsible for the electoral process? While conceding that what happened is “grave et bien serieux”, he has no idea how David Copperfield made his way into the ballot boxes; he passes on the buck to the police. “It is not my responsibility to do the work of the police for them.”

So where do we go from here to restore some confidence in a system and institutions that have discredited themselves beyond redemption? We refer the case to the police for an investigation! Remember that we are still waiting for the police to sort out the ballot papers that were having a leisurely walk in nature in cases lodged just after the 2019 elections. Remember it is the same police that had concluded to a suicide in the Soopramanien Kistnen’s murder case and that now has to re-start a new investigation after a judicial inquiry concluded in a “foul play”.  Remember it is the same police that blocked whole streets and set up snipers on rooftops to make sure former Minister Yogida Sawmynaden’s visit to court was a pleasurable one; the same police that made sure he had all the telephone bills in front of him to be able to give the right answers to their questions. Who believes that this police will give satisfactory answers to the disturbing questions bugging everyone? Who believes that a police inquiry will restore credibility in our institutions?

And things are likely to get worse. As more and more constituencies come into the limelight, there are signs that we will discover more ‘irregularities’. Number 15 is next and l’express has already highlighted that 27 votes that should have been invalidated were counted as valid! What then? T-square explanations or refer more cases to the police and wait for the next elections?

Irfan Rahman has already changed the narrative from “everything was done in all transparency” to conceding that “some officers did not do their work properly” and pleaded “human error”. That is a huge admission in an exercise that affects the whole democratic process on which our republic is based! It is an acknowledgement that due to “human error” some ‘honourable’ members may not have been duly elected. It is almost conceding that the election may not have been ‘free and fair’.

The only way for Irfan Rahman to right that wrong and correct the ‘human errors’ is to cooperate fully with the petitioners by allowing  recounts to go ahead in all the disputed constituencies and state in court whatever he knows that may have happened during the last elections. The police will not elucidate this case. Only he can. That is the only way to restore some credibility in our democratic system and process and preserving the resulting socio-political peace we have been enjoying for decades! A very heavy responsibility lies on his shoulders. He is intelligent enough to be aware of it!