Spoon feeding voters by taking them to and from the Electoral Office and then to the voting booths is shameful, says the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}
He also had some harsh words for those who do not bother to exercise their right to vote at election time.
With the general election not far off, there are already candidates working behind the scenes on their campaigns.
Part of their time is devoted to making sure that their voters get to the registry in readiness to cast their votes.
For someone who has been in the political arena for quite some time, there are certain things that the Prime Minister, who is the longest-serving politician in Samoa and in the Pacific, would like considered.
He offered this advice to candidates out there thinking of running and also to voters casting their votes.
During a talkback show with the 2AP, the Prime Minister spoke about the shameful practice that he said was common in recent elections.
“What’s happening today, is the voter is being treated like a king,” noted Tuilaepa.
“He sits there waiting for someone (the candidate or their supporters) to pick him up and carry him to the car to go to the registry. After that he gets carried back to the car and given a ‘milk bottle’ before he’s dropped off home.”
“It’s embarrassing to carry a 21 year old who is a grownup to get registered (at the Electoral Office) and carry them back to their home,” the Prime Minister pointed out.
“Come the day of the election, the voter waits for you to carry him back to cast his vote as if you’re his father.”
Tuilaepa blamed this practice on the candidates who do it just to score votes for the election.
He urged voters to value the opportunity to cast their votes.
“The only reason why the law would try to impose a taboo on those who do not vote, is to remind them that their future is important through their votes,” explained Tuilaepa.
“Because if you sit on it and people who are not right come in to power and make decisions what happens then? The wrong people will be in government. That is the importance of your registration and the casting of your vote.”
Tuilaepa said the way it should be, is for the voter to take advantage of their right to vote.”
“You’re 21 years old and you have a brain of a 21 year old so you go and do that rather than waiting for someone to take you as if you’re still a child?”
Speaking of rights, Tuilaepa said those who chose not to vote, are stupid.
He reiterated that any voter who values their future and their children’s future, should make time to register and cast their vote.
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}