Well, Monday 4th came and we voted peacefully. Then we waited and waited and waited and we were still waiting at the time of the first draft of this article. Thankfully, the commissioners saved us the agony of waiting some more and the final results for the presidential post were officially announced about 5 days later. However, considering that the President elect was meant to be sworn in yesterday and that did not happen, we still are waiting to know who the 4th president will be. We all ought to have mastered the virtue of patience by the time the 4th president is sworn in although you could argue that we have not had a choice but to wait.
The Supreme Court judges have been hard at work and since the proceedings are being aired live on TV, I bet work has stalled in many organizations and homes. We can majorly celebrate that we were able to remain peaceful during the whole process but there’s still the Supreme Court decision that we have to accept and in the event of another election, we need to be peaceful through that too.
As we wait for the Supreme Court’s decision, we may want to take stock of the election process and its aftermath. We all have a story we can tell about the election considering that there were at least five days to experience it all but there are a few things we should take home.
- Yes, we can be peaceful and mature during an election. As we applaud the efforts to promote peace before the election, it’s important to appreciate that we all heeded to these calls and literally stood the test of time. Hongera! However, we need to remember that we are not home and dry until a president elect is sworn in and we all accept him/ her as our leader as well as maintain peace.
- We should try and decongest polling stations in towns. Where possible, we should register in polling stations with fewer registered voters. Considering that each constituency has a good number of polling stations, it would help if we kept off polling stations in towns unless if it is really necessary. You’d rather drive to a polling station for half an hour and not queue other than walk then stand in the sun for half a day. Think of Urban-Rural Migration.
- Master the art of good timing. If everyone goes to vote at 6am, there will obviously be long queues in the morning. I went to vote at 1pm and there was no queue at my polling station yet about 75% of the registered voters had already cast their votes. A good number of people did not queue or queued for a short time. The officers in quite a number of the polling stations spent the afternoon waiting for 5pm so they could start counting already. We all the same appreciate and applaud those who spent a great amount of time and energy in the queues; it wouldn’t have been the election that it was without you.
- Stock up on entertainment material and food to keep you busy, entertained and satisfied as you wait for the results. Sometimes ‘slow but sure’ is the right way to go so as to ensure integrity of the results.
- Oh, and ensure that you complete all work that is pending before elections. The anxiety when awaiting results is not a conducive working environment. Also report to work when you are meant to, otherwise, a headcount will be taken and presented to the new president; we do not intend to be on his naughty list now, do we?
It may help to remember that it is never really that serious. If we passed on now, so many things would cease to be of importance so let us not leave the election period with hypertension. So what lessons did you take from this election?