Monday, 21 July 2014 00:00
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UVA is getting ready for the polling circus. Tea smallholders, farmers and minorities are likely to receive many promises from the various parties as the province is eyed as the litmus test for either general or presidential elections next year, according to pundits.
Uva is Sri Lanka’s second last populated province and traditionally economically stagnant. However, since the end of the war, it has benefitted from a tourism boom with nature parks such as Yala drawing massive crowds. At the edge of massive development projects in the Southern Province, it will be interesting to see whether the average voter feels that economic dividends have trickled down. As with all provincial elections, voter turnouts are expected to be low.
The Government website has announced President Mahinda Rajapaksa has given sweeping orders to improve the infrastructure, healthcare, education and even Buddhist temples in the area as the State juggernaut flexes its muscles ahead of the elections. While on the surface such moves have be seen as continuations of the Government’s sprawling development plans, the fact that it is done ahead of elections, largely expected around September, is a worry for anyone concerned about democratic due process.
During the last provincial council in the north, excessive use of the military including possible involvement on voter intimidation and attack on a female candidate, unethical campaigning promoting development projects headed by none other than the Head of State, assault of two monitors, massive abuse of public resources, undermining of the legal framework by the 18th Amendment, limited powers to the Elections Commission, misleading usage of media were among the long and painful list of infringements on election law.
Nearly a year later, the whole circus is set to repeat itself, albeit at hopefully a less-belligerent level. With the Government confident of victory in Uva, it is simply a numbers game now with parties of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) more concerned about preferential vote tallies rather than the party outcome.
It is clear that for the ruling party starting early makes sense. As the Opposition struggles to muster its forces, there has already been one crossover with UNP Provincial Council member Ravi Gunewardhana swapping green for blue. Even though there is little speculation of a high level crossover such as in the Sabaragamuwa polls that tilted with the move of former UNP stalwart Dayasiri Jayasekera, State media has displayed Gunewardhana’s changing of ranks as a sign of deepening cracks within the UNP.
Another interesting observation point will be the performance of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) bolstered by the leadership of Anura Dissanayake, who will be facing his first test at the Uva elections. Democratic Party Leader Sarath Fonseka will also be keen to expand his influence with the latest round of votes. Yet none of these parties are likely to be impressed by the Elections Commissioner.
In the aftermath of the northern polls, the Commonwealth Mission pointed out the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 2010, had 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.
