A national problem

Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has stepped up to push for Provincial Council elections, going so far as to threaten to resign on 10 November if polls are not held. The Government has not yet responded to Deshapriya’s statements, but time is running out for the main political parties to reach a consensus.  

After being delayed for years, the Provincial Council polls are in danger of being skipped as parties focus on the presidential elections that will have to be called around November. In the melee of pseudo-campaigning and dealing with other economic and social issues, the tricky issue of provincial elections is in danger of falling by the wayside.   

Elections are already overdue for the North-Western, Central, North-Central, Northern, Eastern and the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils. All political parties insist that elections need to be held but whether it will be under the old proportional representative system or the mixed system is still under debate. 

When the Delimitation Committee report was presented to Parliament last August, it was not approved. This resulted in the appointment of a four-member committee which was asked to look into the matter of the Delimitation Committee report and make relevant representations to Parliament. Subsequently the events of 26 October eclipsed concerns over elections and the matter only resurfaced in the new year.

Party leaders have to come together to establish an electoral system that works. Even though the current deadlock has no impact on holding Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the existence of Provincial Councils cannot be ignored indefinitely. There have been reports that at least some members of the United National Party (UNP) favours holding the elections under the old system and are open to bringing in legislation that would allow this. After much back and forth the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) last week also said they were open to holding elections under the old system. 

It is now up to the party leaders to find a way forward using Parliament. Even though Deshapriya has said he would support anyone seeking Supreme Court intervention, he has so far declined to take that path instead and has insisted the responsibility lies with Parliament. 

It is important to understand that elections are an essential part of a democracy. A country cannot be truly democratic until its citizens have the opportunity to choose their representatives through elections that are free and fair. Critical development efforts cannot succeed without a legitimate and democratically-elected government, even at the provincial level, that is responsive and accountable to its citizens. 

Sri Lankans, especially, have traditionally resented having their franchise delayed, and at times have expressed their discontent by increasing their support for the Opposition. The Local Government elections also came under much criticism for the delay, and the Government would better serve its people by finding a way to engage more actively, consistently and comprehensively to resolve outstanding matters on the Provincial Council elections and work to hold them at the earliest possible opportunity. 

The Provincial Councils also hold much responsibility in running education, healthcare and other services in the country, and cannot be allowed to become defunct as they would hamper the public. Politics, it has been said, is the art of the possible and therefore, as many of the political parties as possible have to find a convergence point to ensure that the people can use their franchise in a timely manner.