Worship of the Beast | Voters fear ‘biblical 666’ in Solomon Islands

WHILE the hype in Honiara is about MPs and intending candidates allegedly paying voter registration ID Cards from voters, Central Makira voters are hyping up on quite another.

They fear the new biometric voter registration is leading to the biblical 666 denoting the Mark of the Beast.

Some voters have been complaining on the Makira-Ulawa Province’s Facebook page that some individuals claiming to be from a certain denomination are going around spreading this rumour.

As a result, one member of the page reported, a good number of voters from Kokana village in west Central Makira have refused to register on Tuesday.

The same thing was reported on the central part of the constituency last week.

Elites who support the new registration system have been urging those who believe in such rumours to disregard them and go and register to vote.

“Our people must understand that if they don’t register, they will not vote,” one contributor warned.

Another contributor said people must register to be able to vote. He said it is their right to choose a leader they want.

“It is their right to vote so those of you around in the Province please help them to register,” he urged.

Another contributor suggested that the Electoral Commission should come out and clarify matters so that people can register to vote. 

“This misinformation will definitely deny the people’s right to choose their leader for the next four years,” he said.

Another contributor urged church leaders to “come out and allay any fears that people who believe in the rumours may have so they can register to vote”.

Avante International Technology Inc., a private company based in New Jersey, USA, which developed the Biometric Voter Registration system has this to say about its product.

“A complete and accurate voter list is the starting point of a credible election. 

“An election that is credible must prevent voters from voting more than once and unregistered voters from voting. 

“The use of biometric for automatic de-duplication, verification and authentication at the point-of-counting represents the best solution in ensuring elections with the highest integrity.”

A private Canadian firm, Electoral Services International, has been contracted to set up the biometric voter registration system in the country.

The 40-day registration started Monday last week and will end on April 16.

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Solomon Islands PM launches biometric voter registration system

The Biometric Voter Registration System (BVRS) is a highly advanced biometric information system that allows enrolling and identifying of voters quickly and accurately.By using biometric identifiers, the possibility of election fraud is minimized and at the same time accelerates the voter identification process.

“An accurate electoral roll is the corner-stone of any election,” PM Lilo said.

“If the roll is not up-to-date it is highly likely the election will be viewed with a great deal of suspicion and the election results may be brought into question through complaints and petitions,” Prime Minister Lilo said.

The Prime Minister highlighted that an accurate and up-to-date roll ensures that everyone who has enrolled will be able to have their say on polling day and that the result properly reflects the will of the people.

“Today’s launching is another step forward in strengthening the democratic process in Solomon Islands by ensuring the government establishes a free and fair voters’ list in the country’s 50 constituencies.

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