The Editor Sir:

Allow me to respond to the article in your Sunday newspaper dated September 16, 2007, In Focus, with the headline, 'The 2007 Election' by Robert Buddan. The lecturer in the Department of Government and newspaper columnist, in his eager quest to find inconsistencies and irregularities attributable to Professor Munroe's failure to win his seat in Eastern St. Andrew, presented gross inaccuracies of facts. Indeed, he reported that 'two other (middle class) polling divisions had a suspicious voter turn out of 100 per cent and 140 per cent which worked against Munroe'. He further referred to these as 'the forces of old politics defeating the forces of the new'.

Buddan, as a middle class voter in the constituency and one who was a part of the election process in this election, you have called into disrepute the honesty and integrity of all middle class voters by suggesting that there was overvoting in these polling divisions. You have also put to question the integrity of the two learned attorneys-at-law who were present at the final count on behalf of Professor Munroe.

inspected and checked every ballot

These professionals inspected every ballot and checked every box, counted every unused ballot, cross-referenced all the numbers before signing off. By suggesting electoral anomalies undetected by observers and others is an attack also on the electronic voter identification system, the electoral process and indeed the returning officer and her staff in this constituency. Before any further careless accusations and inaccuracies here are some facts:

On the final count Professor Munroe lost by 600 not 550 votes.

The average voter turnout for the constituency was just over 60 per cent. Votes for the election day workers, police and the military were attributable to PD50, PD54 and PD55 at the Sts. Peter & Paul Church Hall cluster.

There was no overvoting at any polling station in the constituency.

It is a dishonest approach to single out one community with strong JLP support of 937 votes with reference to garrison without balancing the argument with communities with predominantly strong support for the PNP and where the JLP got only five votes.

I am terribly disappointed in Buddan and his attempt to malign the good character and integrity of the people of Eastern St. Andrew and thus questioning their will at the poll of the September 3. It is not the votes that count so much Buddan, it is how we demonstrate and engender balance and respect for each other in a democracy. An apology is quite in order, please.

I am, etc.,

CARLENE SINCLAIR

JLP Campaign Coordinator

Eastern St. Andrew