A call to the public sector

Public officials are integral to the running of a State. Not only do they essentially drive the machinery of State, they are also in many ways part of the governance mechanism and democratic structures of the State as well. Therefore, public officials displaying their marked ballot papers on social media raises many concerns over the impartiality and true independence of the election. 

The postal vote is an integral part of the overall voting process. With over 600,000 public servants eligible to cast postal votes, their decisions are often seen as hints of how the rest of the population will vote. When results begin to be announced after any vote, many members of the public usually wait up for the postal vote, and attempt to gauge what the final result will be based on it. In some ways the postal vote is the closest Sri Lanka has to its own version of exit voting, which in the US and elsewhere is used to guess at the pulse of the voters before the ballots are counted. 

It is not only this that makes public servants special in the election process. They are seen as critical to the success of any election, because they are the main worker bees of the Election Commission. They essentially conduct the elections. In fact, the public sector essentially runs this crucial aspect of Sri Lanka’s democracy, and every successful election the country has conducted relies on the competence and dedication of these men and women. 

Therefore, it is extremely disappointing if they break the very rules they have pledged to uphold, by posting marked ballot papers on social media. The public sector is a major vote base for both frontrunner candidates, which can be seen by the multiple overtures that have been made to them in the respective manifestoes. In fact, all candidates understand this and take measures accordingly. The incumbent administration usually goes a step further, and approves increases in salary and other perks to the public sector ahead of national elections. This Government has been no different, as has been seen over the past few months, with multiple proposals being rolled out and hefty pay increases promised from January. 

So large have these pledges been that economists have expressed concern about it expanding the Budget deficit and undermining the fiscal consolidation the Government has been engaged in during the last three years. Such steps are taken because the public sector is a major stakeholder in Sri Lanka’s economic, political and social landscape. Therefore it is imperative that they take these responsibilities seriously, and not attempt to undermine the democracy they have been recruited to uphold. 

These same ethics and responsibilities should be adhered to by powerful public servants who have been seen endorsing candidates, participating at manifesto launches, and otherwise engaging in unlawful behaviour. These are serious actions that run the danger of diminishing the respect and regard the public hold towards these professionals. The public, both as tax payers who fund the public sector and citizens of this country, have a right to demand that their public servants respect laws and work to protect genuine democracy. This is their prime duty, not paying obeisance to politicians or political parties.