Saturday, 29 November 2014 00:00
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Sri Lanka’s much-put-upon election monitors have warned the run-up to presidential elections in January could become violent and called on the Elections Commissioner for action. Yet it is unclear whether the Commissioner can win back much-needed credibility by initiating new measures to promote law and order.
The presidential election will be held on 8 January and early indications are it will be a tightly-run race with Government supporters suspected of instigating sporadic violence. Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) says it has received reports of four incidents of election violence with the use of firearms after common candidate Maithripala Sirisena declared his candidacy last week. No one was injured in the alleged attacks but they augur ill for the future.
Shots were fired at the office of UNP MP M.M.A. Halim in the hill town of Kandy in the early hours of 25 November. The windows and walls of the office were damaged. Halim has been actively promoting Sirisena and he was the facilitator of Sirisena’s visit to Kandy.
After the election was declared, shooting incidents were reported from Maggona, Kalutara, Madampe, Puttalam (two incidents), and Mawilmada, according to monitors. Although the vehicle used to carry out the shooting incident at Maggona has been identified and despite the availability of CCTV footage, the Police has not taken steps to arrest any suspects, insists CaFFE Executive Director Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon.
People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), another monitoring group, has called on the Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya to establish a special Police unit that answers directly to him, pointing out it would assist in enforcing election law. They have also highlighted the transfer of 350 Police officers just days ahead of the presidential election proclamation as another nail in the coffin for any hope of a free and fair election.
However, the measure has not yet been finalised by Deshapriya who has been content with glib comments of how his job is not to ensure the downfall of governments. His feet-dragging could have serious repercussions in the week ahead as the Rajapaksa election juggernaut spares no effort in ramping up its campaign.
Joining in the chorus, in a letter addressed to all secretaries of Government ministries, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has requested that adequate arrangements be made for the safe custody and preservation of public resources belonging to the Government during the presidential election.
The TISL drew the secretaries’ attention to the regulations stated in FR 128(1)(e), which states that it is the duty of the secretary and chief accounting officer of each ministry to ensure that proper arrangements are made to safeguarding public property during an election.
TISL insists its interventions exposed blatant violations of election laws and the large-scale misuse of public property and funds which resulted in massive losses to the general public. The organisation has gone so far as to extend assistance to the relevant Government institutions but it is unlikely to be taken up.
At first glance it may already be too late to safeguard public assets as everything – from buses to lampposts – has been festooned with cut-outs of the President. Having failed to empower the Elections Commissioner on numerous previous instances, it could well be that local voters will have to deal with a bumper harvest of violations from that oversight.
