Battered image

The United People’s party goes into the elections with a severely damaged reputation. That is not, as party-leader Theo Heyliger suggests, due to a so-called witch hunt by the prosecutor’s office but to the party’s shenanigans that marred the elections of 2010 and 2014.

It is true that the court acquitted the suspects in the Masbangu-case, but it has nevertheless been established – and admitted by an uncle of Heyliger – that he paid police officers at the party headquarters just before the 2010 elections. And that uncle told investigators that he gave account to the UP-leader.

Yesterday details became public about allegations against then UP-candidate Silvio Matser who allegedly bought votes in the prison in 2014 at $100 a pop.

We hear a lot from the UP about this perceived witch hunt, but absolutely nothing about attempts to clean up its house. That’s telling us a lot.