Procrastinating on the polls

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce this week renewed its call on the Government to hold general elections without any further delays. The Chamber also shared its concerns over the diversity of views within the coalition government which caused contradictions and instability as well as anxiety within the business community.

Meanwhile, fresh calls have been made on the Government and political party leaders to strictly abide by the March 12th Declaration, introduced by PAFFREL and the Citizens’ Collective, which lays down certain guidelines in nominating electoral candidates.

With more than a month having passed since the present Government’s 100-day mandate elapsed, the Chamber pointed out that important economic policies remained in stasis pending a general election and the formation of a government with an appropriate mandate.

Understandably, these concerns are also shared by the private sector. A secure government and stable economic policies are essential to get the country’s economy off the ground and exploit its potential. Furthermore, the delays in bringing about this political and policy stability have created concerns among potential overseas investors. With the domestic economic plan so heavily reliant on FDI, the perceived procrastination over constitutional amendments, electoral reforms and the staging of elections will only prove to be counterproductive. The current uncertainty does not bode well for Sri Lanka in terms of investor confidence as foreign investors may become impatient with the situation and look to invest in more stable countries despite the opportunities and terms available in Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, the Chamber also urged the Government as well as the respective political party leaders to demonstrate their commitment by nominating candidates with “an unblemished record”, strictly abiding by the criteria outlined in the March 12th Declaration. 

Regardless of the obvious complexity of finding nominees with unblemished records, the country’s political culture is in need of a serious makeover. Despite the fact that PAFFREL’s Code of Conduct for Politicians did not relate directly to the conduct of the appointed politicians, it does however serve as a guideline for nominating political candidates. With the major parties having endorsed these guidelines, it is crucial now that they respect them lest their hypocrisy undermine the process of cleaning up the higher echelons of governance. As the Chamber rightly pointed out, this would be the first step towards establishing a political culture that truly serves the needs of the public.

Although these guidelines are by no means legally binding, the party leaders’ wholehearted endorsement of its tenets will put severe pressure on them to stay true to its ideals. Candidates who don’t meet the strict criteria are more likely now to be subject to scrutiny than under the previous regime.

A healthier political culture would no doubt do its part in attracting foreign investments. More importantly, it may also attract the type of investment that would be welcomed by the people. Less corruption would naturally mean cleaner investment and fairer business opportunities.

The country cannot afford to drag its feet concerning these matters much longer, as vital economic policies and crucial investment opportunities hang in the balance. The sooner the people are given the opportunity to exercise their power to select their representatives, the faster the ideals of democracy and good governance could be reinforced and in turn the country’s economy put back on track.