by S. J. Anthony Fernando
Indecision, ad hoc measures taken on important matters at the spur of the moment seems to be the order of the day in certain government activities. The sudden closure of roads and declaration of holidays without adequate notice during the SAARC Summit, putting people into confusion and inconvenience, was one instance.

Take the case of the postponing of the Provincial Councils elections. Could not the government have thought of the security factor beforehand and extended the terms of the Provincial Councils instead of dissolving them when their terms have expired.

If they had done that the present confusion of certain functions performed by P.C.s being disrupted in the absence of the elected representatives and Ministers would have been avoided.

The government sounded serious when it announced the holding of PC elections and even went to field current ministers as Chief Ministerial candidates of the People's Alliance. Later many Ministers backed out preferring to hold their present Ministerial portfolios. However it allowed the normal procedure to take its course and allowed the parties to nominate their candidates while at the same time toying with the idea of postponing the elections.

Then in an orchestrated effort the Government Information Department released to the media statements by the Four Maha Nayaka Theras, quite strangely in one package, calling for the postponement of the elections on grounds that the war effort in North and East would be disrupted if elections were held at the present juncture.

Immediately afterwards several spokesmen rushed with statements that they agreed and accepted the pleas of the Venerable prelates.

This was in contrast to the outright rejection by P.A of the advice given by the four Maha Nayaka Theras that the Package proposed by the Government as a solution to the North East problem be not proceeded with as it tended to divide the country.

Later the Deputy Minister of Defence Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte slated that he could not be held responsible if the war effort is disrupted with Services personnel being brought to the South to provide security at elections.

However the Elections Commissioner rightly carried on with his own agenda of holding elections by accepting nominations and even fixing 28th August 98 as the election date.

Could not the government have avoided much waste of money and energy of the people if it had with foresight allow the Provincial Councils to function if it needed all the security men to fight the war.

Not only the people and political parties but also the P.A. candidates have been taken for a ride by kindling the election fever among them and suddenly dousing it as seen when many prospective candidates majority of the P.A., had printed colourful posters of themselves and pasted all over to get a head start only to see the elections postponed.

Added to this the President and the Leader of the Opposition traded off bargains for holding of elections with president agreeing to hold Presidential elections early if Provincial Council elections are postponed.

If the war is the reason for postponing elections how come the local government elections were held recently? Despite several target dates given during past four years ending the war, the deadlines kept extending infinitely. In such circumstances could the people rely on assurances given now about the war ending soon and elections beeing held?

People asked if elections could not be held now due to the war could elections be held in two or three months time or even one or two years hence on the security forces will have to hold on to captured areas for a long, long more time to come given the frequent attacks by LTTE even in captured areas.

The Deputy Defence Minister claims that the war is ninety per cent won and that only the final phase remains. If it is so could not security personnel be spared to do election duty in the South.?

Besides this the Minister of Constitutional Affairs, Mr. G. L. Peiris has stated that every year the budgetary vote on defence on account of North East War has increased and even the Rs. 44 billion voted in the budget for 1998 has been overrun already.

If 90 per cent of the war has been won then would not the expenditure on the war also correspondingly come down?

With allegations being made that the war is being fought to achieve a political agenda people will find it hard to swallow the excuse that the elections are being put off, and that too by declaring an islandwide state of emergency, to finish off the war.

There is also the growing suspicion whether the Government is biding time giving the war as the excuse till the political climate improves in view of the big burdens heaped on the people due to various promises not being kept and cost of living rising sky high with growing numbers seeking employment.