Monday, 16 September 2013 00:00
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THE final week leading up to elections is always a crucial one. With the countdown official begun, all attention will turn to the north and the opening of a new political chapter – but one fraught with tension and foreboding.
Come next Saturday, thousands of voters will make their choice for the next provincial council in three regions. While those in the south have garnered little interest, the same cannot be said of the north. While relatives fight party colleagues for votes in an intense battle to come up trumps for personal riches, the issues in the north are far deeper and have graver consequences.
Over 400 violations have been reported to the Elections Commission in this round, showing that the democratic process is all but dead in Sri Lanka. The Government enthusiastically insists that elections, frequent elections at that, are the “cornerstone” of democracy but reality begs to differ with good governance and transparency all but collapsing under severe blows each time.
Stabbings and shootings hit headlines in the south but the north has been quiet on this front. Yet, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has repeatedly pointed out that the Army is being used for campaigning in the north, going so far as to send a letter to the President last week detailing its grievances. Fingers have also been pointed at the Northern Province Governor, who unashamedly continues to excuse his involvement in campaigning.
While local media has been vocal in its condemnation of election violations is the south, there has been comparatively less attention given to the abuse of State resources and conflict of interest displayed by Government officials in the north. It is almost as if the “how” of the northern elections barely counts against its win. The ends justify the means in this instance, it would seem.
Be that as it may, President Mahinda Rajapaksa added his considerable touch to the campaigning by touring the former war zone last week, opening electricity stations, addressing rallies, observing development work and crowning his visit with the resuming of train services to Kilinochchi after the lapse of two decades. The writing is clear for the voters: pick UPFA candidates and the money will continue to flow. As the region hobbles back to normalcy, this is a powerful message indeed.
The TNA is also busy spreading a powerful message, but one that may not find resonance in the south. Its manifesto has garnered more brickbats than praise in the south and its chief minister candidate continues to run into storms of criticism for praising slain LTTE leader Prabhakaran and supporting non-starters like the re-merger of the north and east.
However, he may win praise from the Government for one stance and that is telling the Tamil Nadu politicians that they are hurting rather than helping the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils by using their issues like “a ball in a tennis match”. These views voiced to The Hindu last week will certainly get a mild and possibly grudging nod of approval from Colombo.
Hundreds of monitors are dribbling into the country as all parties brace for a tough and possibly violent five days. With international attention firmly focused on the outcome and its global image at stake, the Government will be hoping that it did just enough to win.
