First step towards good governance: reforming the political system

The aim of any proposed reform is to start restoring public trust in Government by making immediate and tangible improvements to the political system. The improvements would need to harness the public support, which is usually a challenge, due to the unjust political influences over their decisions – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

Public trust in Government has been on a on a decline for the past few decades. The downfall underlines both the importance and urgency of making serious changes to our political system. The depletion in the political system can be witnessed in the day-to-day comments made by the general public: “Why bother to vote” or “I voted for change and nothing happened” or “There’s no point voting” or “They are all rogues” or “Once the election is over they just do whatever they want”.

It is said in a vibrant democracy, all power originates from the people and is exercised by representatives who are elected or directly appointed by them. If it is the case and the Constitution specifies the same, then political reform is to find a way to return this power to the people. They should have the right to exercise power directly, and not just through appointees or representatives. Today, power is exercised basically by political parties and through electoral processes.

Reforming the political system should be understood as reforming the decision-making process of Government, which in turn means reforming power and the ways it is exercised.

The promotion of changes to the political system should cover the political culture, society and the state. 

What is wrong about the political system of Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is a country in which the political system embodies many negative characteristics such as male dominance, patrimonialism, oligarchy, nepotism, cronyism, personality cults, and corruption.

Part of the problem stems from the electoral system. Many argue that the preferential voting system introduced in the 1978 Constitution is the primary cause for this unsavoury situation. The system requires candidates to foster a sizable budget to conduct a formidable campaign in order to stand a chance of being elected. Further, competition has also enhanced among the members of the same party, in some instances leading to fatal casualties, in the quest to champion the voters in one’s favour. This has also resulted in a sizable amount of representatives elected to office that are rumoured to be lacking the basic qualifications such as Ordinary Level and Advanced Level Examinations. The mannerism and behaviour of the elected representatives have been a disgrace and insult to the very democracy of our country. 

Campaign financing has meant that the politicians have become mere actors serving special interest groups, which they have to please to secure funding for their re-election. Securing contracts, granting jobs to their henchmen and many other developments stem from such intentions, carried out in the disguise of serving the public. Some of the elected representatives have divested their assets to seek public office, and thereby strive to recover their spending through numerous mischievous deals. This is also a primary reason why our democratic system is increasingly unable to deliver good public policy in a consistent or coherent way, and convince the public to support it.

Problems with voting systems

An Amendment introduced to enact a mixed electoral and preferential voting system was implemented for the Local Government Elections in 2018. The new system took a few years to implement, due to the inability of the stakeholders to agree on the delimitations. The same issue has surfaced on the Provincial Council Elections, which has led to its indefinite delay. The increase in representatives, inability to form strong ruling alliances, and rise in the cost of maintenance of members were key shortcomings of the system. Not to be surprised with such an outcome, given the nature of the elected representatives.  

For an effective and sustainable good governance system, processes must be anchored in a dynamic working democracy. A democracy must respects the rule of law, a free press, energetic civil society organisations and effective and independent public bodies, ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights. The system must also ensure both transparency and accountability on the part of the Government. An intelligent political system will ensure such virtues, and also ensure the transparency and efficiency in different Government agencies.

One of the other key issues include the nature of the representation. This results from a fragmented, highly diverse society that increasingly fails to connect with major parties. The major parties are left with shrinking, less diverse memberships that fail to secure sizable votes from regions such as the North and East. This results in their inability to secure the majority to govern without a coalition.  

It is evident that the future Governments under the present system would not be able to form a majority Government. Weak Governments will result from this system. This would mean that the major parties would always need to lure the support of the minority parties, through lavish perks and ministerial portfolios. Many Members of Parliament would resort to crossing benches in favour of perks, exploiting the legal loopholes at their disposal. Even the current Opposition leader has joined another political party and is left unchallenged. 

Reformed political system = good governance

For an effective and sustainable good governance system, processes must be anchored in a dynamic working democracy. A democracy must respects the rule of law, a free press, energetic civil society organisations and effective and independent public bodies, ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights. The system must also ensure both transparency and accountability on the part of the Government. An intelligent political system will ensure such virtues, and also ensure the transparency and efficiency in different Government agencies.

The participation of both men and women is essential in any good governance framework. Participation must entail freedom of association and expression. An intelligent political system is the cornerstone behind the establishment of rule of law, which requires impartial legal systems. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent Judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible Police force. This would ensure the equity and inclusiveness of everyone in society. The level of transparency and accountability will also be enhanced, with information being freely available and directly accessible for those who are affected. The level of responsiveness will improve leading to an effective and efficient use of resources. 

Objective of reforming the political system

An intelligent political system will be the foundation to minimise corruption. A society free of corruption will require the formulation of laws to curb malpractices, misuse of resources, narcotics, and the independence of the law enforcement agencies and the Judiciary. The need for intelligent representatives and a strong Government is paramount if the country is going to be free of corruption.  

The voting population of our country can be considered one of the most politically illiterate voters in the world. Our voters tend to forget the good deeds quite frequently. Despite the accusations of corruption, false promises, and misuse of resources, the voters tend to endorse individuals with such attributes on each and every occasion. There has been a significant amount of instances where the highest preferential votes have been obtained by the most accused individuals. This is also a reason why the challenges from many independent professional groups fail to earn the confidence of the people. 

A key criteria in driving FDI to the country depends on political stability and intervention. Intelligent investors tend to get obstructed and deterred by corrupt politicians and officials that canvas undue bribes and commissions. Investment into specific sectors and the import of technology and innovation though foreign investors are essential for the sustenance of a nation, and only an intelligent political system would facilitate this righteous establishment. 

Re-gaining the public trust in Government is also vital. The Governments of our time are faced with many challenges, including the impact of digitalisation, widening inequality gaps, and a resurgent wave of identity politics. While these challenges and how they are perceived within societies are driven by complex and inter-related causes, they are all linked to declining levels of confidence among the public. Trust in Government has plummeted significantly and our citizens are increasingly losing faith in the system. 

Why has it been a challenge to build an intelligent political system? 

As with any election campaign, it all begins with the abolishment of the Executive Presidency. The present Government under the 19th Amendment was able to minimise its powers in favour of Parliament. The establishment of the independent commissions were all sound measures to transform the country towards a good governance framework. However, the 19th Amendment as a whole has become one of the biggest confusing pieces of legislature ever drafted. Further dilution of the powers of the Executive was expected from the new Constitution that was supposed to be drafted during this term of Parliament. This document is yet to be presented. 

The need of a new system takes the centre-stage in all pre-election rhetoric; however, once elected, neither representative seems to remember their promises. The preferential voting system was much debated for reform over a number of years, however, the ruling Government dependence on the minority parties has meant that they will not secure the majority support to pass any such Amendment. Minority parties will find it challenging to elect a sizable amount of members under a constituent electoral system, and hence the objection. 

As in the Netflix TV Series “House of Cards”, a famous saying goes as “always pick power over money”. The political influence remains quite strong in many State institutions. This is the very reason that our politicians would prefer to retain their ability to influence many institutions, such as the law enforcement agencies and State institutions, hence the reluctance to change the system.  

Re-gaining the public trust in Government is also vital. The Governments of our time are faced with many challenges, including the impact of digitalisation, widening inequality gaps, and a resurgent wave of identity politics. While these challenges and how they are perceived within societies are driven by complex and inter-related causes, they are all linked to declining levels of confidence among the public. Trust in Government has plummeted significantly and our citizens are increasingly losing faith in system. 

The voting population of our country can be considered one of the most politically illiterate voters in the world. Our voters tend to forget the good deeds quite frequently. Despite the accusations of corruption, false promises, and misuse of resources, the voters tend to endorse individuals with such attributes on each and every occasion. There has been a significant amount of instances where the highest preferential votes have been obtained by the most accused individuals. This is also a reason why the challenges from many independent professional groups fail to earn the confidence of the people. 

Reforms required to change the existing political system

The aim of any proposed reform is to start restoring public trust in Government by making immediate and tangible improvements to the political system. The improvements would need to harness the public support, which is usually a challenge, due to the unjust political influences over their decisions. 

Among a few modern improvements to address the key interest group and campaign financing issue would be to impose a cap on campaign spending. This would allow candidates to explain their policies in far more facts-based detail rather than lavish advertising campaigns, or by luring the innocent civilians through monetary benefits. The other would be to implement a real-time disclosure of public donations. Commit to real reform on political donations and campaign financing that promotes a more equal opportunity for all parties and candidates to participate in the political process. In addition, commit political parties to the same standards that companies are bound by when they advertise during election campaigns, to promote better truth in advertising. The implementation for stringent regulation on the lobbyists are also paramount. All suggestions, though essential for a good governance framework, and certain of gaining public support, would be farfetched to implement, given only ten members of Parliament have declared their assets.

The strength and the assembly of think-tanks comprising of professionals from numerous industries must be enhanced. The think-tanks would provide a direct voice on a national level, the public would be much more involved in policymaking and gain more responsibility in the success of their Government. The think-tanks would be given the responsibility to develop long-term, national policy blueprints in diverse areas.

Eliminate the Provincial Council branch of the legislative administration. The Provincial Councils are a white elephant. Power should be devolved through the central Government. It is true that until the problems of the people of the North and East are solved, the country would not able to press ahead towards prosperity. However, the existence of a Provincial Council system has not served its purpose and at times even failed to hold its respective sittings on time. 

In terms of legislative reform, coalition politics, witnessed in Sri Lanka, has significant drawbacks. It enables vote-trading for ministerial perks or cash, while ensuring that politics remains corrupt and dysfunctional. Sri Lanka must introduce a Bill that calls for a compulsorily-televised debate for all presidential candidates, allowing candidates to be grilled in public on issues and their ability to exert leadership. This would ensure that our politics become more stable and policy driven. The proposal would entail to implement a constituent-based electoral system. Further, around 30% of the seats in Parliament should be allocated from the National List. Abolishing the preferential voting system is paramount. 

Finally, there is a need for more public participation. The people need to be encouraged to make Government accountable on a daily basis, instead of on a five-year election cycle. Citizens must be encouraged to participate in constitutional reforms through a participatory online forums. This is a possibility these days with people connected through technology in many ways. Such suggestions can thereafter be incorporated in the draft Constitution.

There should be a need to possess a minimum education qualification or a set number of years of industry experience for those seeking public office. The lesson of electing representatives with neither quality is felt gravely in today’s Government, for no one to oppose such a move. Implement comprehensive and continual professional training in policy, ethics and procedures for Ministers, Members of Parliament and Ministerial staff. 

Conclusion 

From the above discussion, it should be clear that the reform to our political system would not be a quick fix, and is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance structure in its totality. The first step to success has stemmed from the establishment of an intelligent political structure. However, to ensure sustainable economic growth, human development and the enhancement of international competiveness, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality.

[The writer is the Managing Director at Elon Venture Catalysts Ltd., a financial and investment banking services firm operating in Sri Lanka. He is also the founder of Accounting and CFO services firm Cotlersys and Retinue. He has a BEng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and a MBA (Marketing) from the University of Colombo. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. Vidushan holds a Certified Management Accountant (Australia) and Certified Global Business Analyst (Australia). He is currently reading for his Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Colombo. He can be reached via email on [email protected] or www.elonventure.com]