VOTING BY COLOURS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 27 September 1933, Page 7

VOTING BY COLOURS

INDIAN* POLLING COMEDY

AMUSIN' G RESULTS. The reports of the committee on Indian Constitutional Reform are beginning to provide congenial reading, says the “Morning Post” of Lodon. The latest issue offers its best fun in a description of the wav in which the Indian electorate will vote when presented with a Constitution. The Franchise Committee recommended a long time ago that illiterates should be guided to vote by the use of colours and symbolic portraits of candidates (such as a. tiger); and by a stroke of fortune, one of the witnesses is able to toll of an election already held on this principle. The proceedings get into their stride with the examination of Mr Bannerjoe, when discussion turns on the differet communities in Bengal. NOT DEMOCRATIC. Then Sir N. X. Sircar elucidates how, the Indian Franchise will work with] the proposed paraphernalia-of symbols and coloured boxes. We had some evidence here about tlie simplified form of vote with- coloured boxes and so on. You recently had experience of that, had you not?—Mr Bannerjee—Yes, in November last. Will you tell the committee shortly how that system worked and what was the result?—That simplified voting by mans of coloured boxes, in my humble opinion, does not help matters at all. People vote not for a particular person ; thev vote for a particular colour, and I .submit that is neither representative government nor democracy. I want to know how many votes were recorded? —Even with this simplified form of voting, even with the help of- the coloured boxes, you cannot poll more than 300 in a working day of, say, six hours. T do not want general statements, flow many could he polled on this occasion ?—On this occasion 2000 people, had arrived for the purpose of recording their votes. The poll contmiied from 11 a.m. to midnight, and during this time onlv 600 votes were recorded with the help of the simplified form of voting which is supposed to simplify matters. The others had to be sent away?— Yo= they had to be sent away. Do you agree with the rather optimistic statement made in the Franchise Committee’s report that a thousand can he polled on a single day?— They could ho polled, but it would not be balloting. Tn point of fact, they would ho asked to vote for such, and such a man. That is not preserving the secrecy of tho ballot box; but if secrecy were to be preserved, -if voting were to proceed on regular lines, it would be absolutely impossible to poll a thousand votes in a day. FORGOT THE CANDIDATE. Mr. Butler: May I ask him whether, if the number of assistants is increased. it does not make it easier? —That will not help in the least because it, is the polling officer only who can go- inside the polling booth and ask the illiterate voter whom he is voting for. You cannot entrust that duty to less responsible people. , The Marquess of Reading: Did the polling officer in tjiat case ask every ( voter whom he was voting for?—Except in the case of the illiterate voters, he did not put that question; but they form 60 per cent, of the voting strength That is not on tno franchise proposed by the White Paper hut on a narrower franchise which is reserved for local hoard elections. Did I understand vou to add ill the case of the illiterate voters the polling officer asked every voter whom lie is voting for? —Yes, he has to. That is not the system proposed m the Franchise Committee’s Report?— I beg your pardon; in this 1 particular case they had coloured boxes and they forgot which coloured box was for which candidate. Consequently, they asked advice and assistance of the polling officer. Mr. Bannerjee later tells the committee that he, and a large section of people in Bengal are against the large electorates suggested in the White Paper. After which lie gives way to a fellow-witness Mr Chatterjee, who frankly answers the question whether the White Paper Constitution is likely to be worked in India. As I have said, as far as I can see it denies us responsible Government in Bengal .and that will create very profound dissatisfaction. But. as I say. there are two classes who might he expecting to come and contest an election, those who want to wreck, the Constitution and those who want jobs. Dr. Moonje’s turn again, and the topic has changed to the Poona Pact, which he declared would, never have been accepted if deep anxiety had not been felt on account of obdurate fasting by Mr Gandhi. Sir Austen Chamberlain: How does the witness expect Parliamentary Government to work in India if a distinguished individual can cause a whole party to vote against their convictions bv threatening to fast to death ? —I bad better no't reply to that question.