Saturday, 23 August 2014 00:00
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As the Uva polls battle heats up, Democratic Party (DP) Leader Sarath Fonseka has taken the Elections Commissioner and Police Chief to task over impunity enjoyed by candidates contesting under the betel leaf, charging the officials’ apathy is responsible for the deteriorating situation. The Government in turn has hit back by insisting Opposition parties are also to blame. But multiple wrongs do not make a right.
All election monitors have warned the integrity of the upcoming Uva elections will be “greatly compromised” and assistant election commissioners are frustrated by the blatant disregard for upholding election law, further compromised by continuous threats issued against them by candidates.
In a joint statement to the leaders and secretaries of all political parties contesting the Uva election and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the three election monitors – Center for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV,) Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) – have outlined numerous breaches of law.
The three watchdogs, referring to the incident of a ruling party Parliamentarian of Badulla District and his brother threatening an Assistant Election Commissioner on the poll nominations day, said a genuine and demonstrable effort by political leaders, especially from the ruling alliance, is vital to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
The monitors were referring to United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Badulla District Parliamentarian Thenuka Vidanagamage and his brother former Provincial Council member Anura Vidanagamage and another person allegedly threatening the Assistant Elections Commissioner of Kurunegala Namal Thalangama, when he attempted to stop an illegal vehicle parade. The two politicians later surrendered to the Police and the Court released the suspects on bail.
The three election monitoring groups called on the party leaders and the IGP to “take all measures to ensure the safety and security of election officials and to issue strict instructions to candidates to desist from any actions, which affect the holding of free and fair elections”. They also urged the IGP, in addition to providing for the security of election officials, to act decisively in respect of the misuse and abuse of public property and State resources as well as of MSD personnel and vehicles. In the aftermath of the northern polls, the Commonwealth Mission pointed out the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 2010, has undermined the constitutional and legal framework for a credible and competitive election, particularly the provision for an independent Electoral Commission has been negated.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) echoed these sentiments with former Indian Chief Commissioner of Elections N. Gopalswami, who headed the monitoring group, calling for the Elections Commissioner to be empowered, insisting that such overarching authority is the best hope for genuinely free and fair elections. With no changes in such crucial areas, Uva elections are likely to get attention for all the wrong reasons.
It is clear the absence of an independent election commission is made worse by the similar lack of a police commission as independent officials are key to running free and fair elections. As the ruling party continues to morph all institutions into their power structure, the hope for a genuine people’s verdict becomes even fainter.
