Demon-o-cracy

Outsiders who may have watched the run-up to the polls to the North Western Provincial Council elections, the conduct of the election itself and now listening to the comic statements being made by government politicians will be wondering about what kind of political system or democracy is practised in this blessed isle.

They will know all about western democracy where not much emotion is generated and people are moved more by their bank balances than heated rhetoric. They will know about the ‘guided democracy’ of potty dictators in Third World countries who with their political goons decimate the opposition and with the help of the army and police stuff ballot boxes and win ‘resounding electoral victories’. They will be acquainted with what happened in now defunct Socialist democracies on election day. In those countries polling was extremely peaceful, the winning party always ‘sweeping the polls’. Of course there was only one party contesting the elections - the Communist Party. Sri Lanka has been following the Westminster model with Sri Lankan variations. As time passes these variations are making our system much more different to those of our former rulers. Winston Churchill’s definition of his system - ‘A little man, going into a little booth and making a little cross with a little pencil’ is being replaced by: Many demons storming into many booths with dangerous weapons, ordering out election officers and all and sundry and then making little crosses on little pieces of paper snatched away from little people. The poor voter is being demonised by political goondas. Thus, it could be said that we are developing a system of Demon-o-cracy, absolutely unique.

The victorious warriors have returned to Colombo and are blaming it all on UNP demons on state-owned TV. It was a UNP conspiracy with government officials who closed down polling stations long before closing time these simon-pure, politicians say. The Commissioner of Elections, Mr. Dayananda Dissanayake, is of a slightly different opinion. On reports received of vote rigging and other malpractices from his election officers he had excluded votes cast at 221 polling booths. But beyond that the commissioner cannot do anything because he is not vested with powers such as cancellation of the election. We do hope at least he makes his detailed report of the election known to the public soon instead of waiting long years to publish it. There have been instances such as an election commissioner stating in courts that the elections were free and fair and later issuing scathing reports on the conduct of the elections, years later.

The elections law as it stands, in practice, can result in a ruling political party flagrantly violating the law, winning elections and staying in power. Since the Elections Commissioner appears to have no powers other than to annul voting in affected polling stations, the only remedy is to go to courts. This could drag on for years as what happened with Mrs. Bandaranaike’s petition against the UNP. Opposition political parties cannot act with impunity because ruling party politicians direct police operations during election time.

We reiterate our proposal yesterday. All political parties should agree immediately to amend the law regarding the police and the office of the Commissioner of Elections. An independent police commission is a crying need of the day. This is a proposal already made by the government in their proposed constitution. The other is the establishment of an independent Elections Commission vested with powers that could repel any attempts to bring political influence on them. A good example is the Indian Elections Commissioner who is strongly backed by the Indian judiciary. The present Sri Lankan constitution, although it gives some protection to the Elections Commissioner in that his salary cannot be changed and it is paid through the Consolidated Fund and his removal from office requires an address to Parliament by the president,does not appear to go beyond that.

With demon-o-cracy fast replacing democracy it is time that the public woke up and told political leaders that this rot must stop now. Earlier the Catholic clergy and Buddhist monks of the NWP made a joint appeal for a peaceful poll which has fallen on deaf ears. They and others throughout the country must rise to save this country slipping into anarchy. The NWP is the only province with a Catholic majority. Catholics have been quite vociferous and spoken up against the establishment of the VOA radio station and now the Norocholai coal power plant. Should they remain tight-lipped when their own people are being terrorised, particularly by hired goons from outside the province? Prof. Nalin de Silva in an article yesterday in The Island called for a national front to save democracy. It is time the entire country thought about it.