Jamaica Better Off for Ryan Peralto’s Contributuion – says PM Golding

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has underscored the leadership role that Ryan Peralto (Snr) played in modernizing the country’s electoral system so that fraud would become more difficult and the promise of a fair result ensured.
The Prime Minister was delivering a tribute to his friend and colleague at the official funeral for Ryan Peralto (Snr) this afternoon, (Monday, February 9) at the Stella Maris Church in Kingston.
The Prime Minister said, “This country cannot undervalue the contribution that Ryan Peralto has made to the electoral system. He tried to persuade us that technology could solve the problems that plagued our electoral system and he remained committed that it could work. We are better off for the work that he did.”
Mr Peralto, who served as Deputy with Mr Golding in the Jamaica Labour Party, worked with him on many issues. Mr Peralto was known for his tenacity and served on the Electoral Commission of Jamaica for more than a decade where he consistently pursued the dream of using technology to protect the integrity of voter registration and voting results. His ideas resulted in Jamaica being one of the first countries to use technology, including fingerprinting in the records.
Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga in paying tribute said that Mr Peralto understood that one of the most important developments to happen in his time was to protect the democracy of the country.
“He saw the flaw in the electoral system and pursued that vision ( to fix it) for twelve years. Now Jamaica has one of the finest electoral systems that exist in any small country..This was no ordinary man. He had exceptional displays of constructive leadership that is unmatched by most”, Mr. Seaga said.