A group of prominent citizens has expressed its concern about the imposition of the all-island emergency to postpone the Provincial Council elections, which it says is unwarranted and has clearly been taken for partisan political reasons. It has called upon all citizens of the country to write to the President demanding that the democratic rights and freedoms be upheld by holding the elections without delay.

The full text of their statement is as follows:

We as a group of concerned citizens are deeply perturbed at the imposition of all-island Emergency to postpone provincial council elections, and the grave consequences for democratic governance resulting from this action. We note that elections in Sri Lanka have been postponed before with disastrous consequences for democracy, peace and stability. We also note that in the past, elections have been held in Sri Lanka when the security situation was worse and the threat to democracy graver. The logic of the Government's decision is, therefore, that the exercise of the fundamental right to the franchise is to be conditioned by the uncertain fortunes of a military offensive.

Our concern is centred on the corrosive effects of this decision for democracy. The exercise of the franchise is a fundamental right of the citizenry and the responsibility for holding elections is a basic duty of the Government of the day in a functioning democracy. Furthermore, emergency powers - with the suspension of democratic rights they entail - should not be resorted to lightly. They are to be availed of only in extraordinary circumstances.

We are of the firm belief that the imposition of all-island Emergency to postpone elections on the grounds of security is, in this instance, unwarranted, and has clearly been taken for partisan political reasons. Instead of seriously considering options like the staggering of elections which would manifestly signal the Government's commitment to uphold democratic norms and practices, the Government has resorted to declaring an Emergency as a temporary expedient for political reasons. This decision has blatantly negated the Government's commitment to democratic governance boldly stated in its 1994 election manifesto with regard to the use of the emergency to postpone elections. The 1994 People's Alliance Manifesto reiterates, "The State's powers to change laws governing any aspect of the conduct of elections, by having recourse to Emergency Regulations promulgated under the Public Security Ordinance, will be removed."

We note that the deterioration in the security situation and the critical nature of the Jayasikurui offensive identified by the Government is not of recent vintage. In any event, it precedes the holding of the SAARC summit and peraharas in Kandy and Kataragama with the substantial additional security presence these events necessitated. We also note that the personnel requirement for security during the elections relates to the Police and not the armed forces. Furthermore, the Government was insistent on holding local Government elections in the Jaffna peninsula (29 January) in spite of LTTE threats to candidates and voters alike. In fact, there was an LTTE attack on the Gurunagar jetty on the day of the polls and during the campaign the LTTE attacked the Punguduthivu camp, killing two Pradeshiya Sabha candidates amongst others.

Moreover, we are concerned that the logic of the Government's argument indicates that its strategy for conflict resolution has a direct and debilitating impact on its commitment and capability for democratic governance. We are extremely concerned that as much as the opening of the supply route is cited as the reason for postponing elections, the defence of it too could be used for the same purpose in the future. Is it to be the case that elections in this country can only beheld once the war has been concluded?

Most importantly, we wish to emphasize that it is a recorded fact that the major responsibility for violence during elections lies with the main political parties themselves. The security problem during elections stems in the main from the propensity for thuggery and intimidation embedded in the political culture practiced by the political parties. The security problem could be considerably mitigated if the leaders of these parties take decisive action to demonstrate their commitment to free and fair elections.

We demand that the Government and all political parties restore public confidence in the institutions and practices of democratic governance. As the first and crucial step in this direction we demand that the Government revoke the all-island Emergency with immediate effect and proceed with the provincial council elections.

We call upon all citizens to write to the President saying "No! to the all-island emergency and No! to the postponement of elections", and to demand that democratic rights and freedoms be upheld and that accordingly the elections be held without delay.

Signatories

Prof. Vijay Kumar, Prof. P. V. J. Jayasekara, Dr. (Ms) Moria Tampoe, Dr. Lilamani de Silva, Dr. Nawaratna Banda, Dr. Michel Fernando, Attanayaka M. Herath, Dr. Sisira Pinnawala, Jayaratna Maliyagoda, S.Balakrishnan, Sumanasiri Liyanage, Dr. Sunil Wijesiriwardene, Jayatilleke Kammallaweera, Gunadasa Kapuge, Kapila Kumara Kalinga, Suranjith Hewamanna, Kelly Senanayake, Jiffry Yoonoos, Uvindu Kurukulasuriya, Victor Ivan, Nayanananda Wijekulathileka, Air Vice Marshal Harry Gunatilleke, Dr. Arjuna Parakrama, Tissa Abeysekera, Waruna Karunatilleke, Rohan Edrisinha, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravana-muttu, Sunila Abeysekera, Kumudhini Samuel, Dr. Jayadeva Uyangoda, Qadri Ismail, Arittha Wikremanayake, Austin Fernando, Prof. A. J. Goonewardena, Janaka Biyanwela, Dr. Kumari Jayawardena, Susantha Hiththatiyage.