Votes for prisoners

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 style=" border-bottom: 1px solid #3366CC;" BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Tulbagh Info Information</B></div> <div> Votes for prisoners</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 style=" border-left: 1px solid #3366CC;" BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="120" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#0099CC HEIGHT= 15 WIDTH="116"><div> <A HREF="da.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Democratic Alliance Party"><U>Back to DA</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>STATEMENT BY JAMES SELFE, MP</B></div> <div> <B>DA SPOKESPERSON ON CORRECTIONAL SERVICES</B></div> <div> <I>IEC’s preferential treatment of prisoners: DA calls for common sense to prevail</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Release, immediate: </B>Sunday, 18 January 2009</div> <div> The Democratic Alliance (DA) finds it completely unacceptable that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) plans to roll out the red carpet for South Africa's prisoners, while simultaneously ignoring the urgent need to launch registration drives at schools and universities. <B>The fact that prisoners receive such preferential treatment – even while South Africans working and living overseas are barred from voting – is an unacceptably inequitable state of affairs, and warrants urgent attention. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Details we have received from the IEC indicate that five days in February have been earmarked for a massive voter registration drive in 40 Western Cape prisons.</B> At least two IEC representatives have been allocated per 1000 prisoners, as well as officials from Home Affairs who will be on hand to provide ID and other documentation to prisoners, affording prisoners a level of service that law abiding South Africans could never dream of receiving. There are also reportedly plans to to hold extensive voter education campaigns in these prisons. This will no doubt be followed by a similar campaign nationwide. </div> <bR> <div> We believe that this programme is evidence of hopelessly skewed priorities. All available resources must be focused on ensuring that law-abiding citizens, ranging from a focus on schools and universities, to old-age homes are given every chance to register to vote and the needs of these citizens must out of necessity take precendence over the rights of prisoners. The IEC cannot prioritise the rights of prisoners over ordinary citizens, and the DA calls for common sense to prevail, and renewed emphasis to be placed on empowering potential voters from our country's educational institutions, retirement homes and healthcare centres, as well as South Africans working and living overseas.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Media enquiries:</B></div> <div> <B>James Selfe MP – 082 556 0252</B></div> <div> Frits de Klerk – 082 320 1890</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>