SIR – In the interest of fairness, permit me to respond to the editorial, ‘Trump is a sore loser’ (Southern Star, November 14th, 2020), which appears to be an unwarranted attack on President Trump.
Donald Trump has received much criticism during his tenure as president, some of it has been well justified, much of it has not.
However, his refusal to concede the election to his rival Joe Biden is of enormous significance and cannot be merely dismissed as ‘begrudging’, as suggested in the editorial.
It is surely an issue of national and international importance if President Trump has claimed that the election was interfered with. Such a claim should be respected in the interest of democracy.
After all, the legal right to ensure that an election or a referendum has been conducted fairly is statutory right in most democracies, including here in Ireland. Those who pursue a legal route to seek justice if they suspect interference must not be vilified for doing so.
If, as President Trump alleges that there was interference in the presidential election, he has, in my opinion, not just a right, but an absolute duty to the office of president and to the people of the United States, to pursue truth, justice and the common good by bringing his evidence before the courts and seeking due process.
If his claim is considered frivolous or unsubstantiated, it can be expected that it will not be upheld.
Equally, if the Democrats and others have nothing to hide regarding electoral fraud and interference, they too should welcome due process, it may vindicate the result and Mr Biden may legitimately hold office without any ongoing clouds of suspicion hanging over him. If the election has been rigged, as claimed by President Trump, then it will surely result in a spectacular ‘cleaning out of the swamp.’
As for the strongly-biased world, national and local media, most of whom are vehemently anti-Trump and overwhelmingly on the side of Joe Biden, they owe it to their readers and viewers to be fair and balanced in their reporting and they too should respect and welcome judicial process.
They may find, in their enthusiasm to get Mr Biden elected, at all costs, that to their shame, they have dispensed with objective journalism allowing themselves to be ‘caught offside’ having nailed their political colours to the mast of a proverbial ‘Titanic’.
The editorial also claims that ‘Democracy was the real winner in this US presidential election which had the largest turnout ever.’
I suggest that ‘the largest turnout ever’ under the current circumstances where the legitimacy of voters, votes and the counting procedures are now under scrutiny is no yardstick by which to prematurely measure the success of ‘democracy’ in the US.
There is no clear winner of the US election until all of democratic principles underpinning the election process have been completed and that process includes the ability of the president to exercise his fundamental constitutional right to call for a full investigation when he suspects fraud.
When that investigation is conducted and the courts have returned a verdict, perhaps then, irrespective of the outcome, it may be adjudged that democracy has indeed been triumphant.
Theresa Heaney,
‘Deodatus,’
Maryboro,
Timoleague.
