Thursday, 11 September 2014 00:55
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As the days for the Uva election ticks closer, even the blind are forced to see the obvious. Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya on Wednesday admitted to reporters all is not well in the province and did not rule out postponement of voting. Despite piling up of violations, it is unclear if any attempt at all will be made to impose the law impartially.
Campaign for Free & Fair Elections (CaFFE) said it had recorded a total of 256 incidents of violation of election law and incidents of election violence at the end of last week. These included 192 incidents of election law violations, while 64 incidents of election violence had also been recorded. Monaragala had seen the worst in terms of election law violations and election violence, with 136 violations and 52 incidents of election violence being reported.
People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said it had received 231 complaints regarding election law violations during the period from 30 July to 6 September; 175 of these have been confirmed while 56 remain unconfirmed. PAFFREL monitors have recorded 131 confirmed incidents of election law violations from the Moneragala District, compared to 44 from Badulla.
Meanwhile, the Election Complaints Unit set up at the Elections Secretariat had recorded 132 complaints by yesterday. Figures from Monaragala again far exceeded those from Badulla, with the former recording 81 complaints compared to the latter’s 38.
Opposition parties have already slammed the Elections Commissioner and Police Chief over impunity enjoyed by candidates contesting under the betel leaf, charging the officials’ apathy is responsible for the deteriorating situation. One UNP candidate has since been arrested but charges of impunity for ruling candidates remain. Having vehemently denied use of public servants in campaigning by the Government, Deshapriya had to eat his own words by admitting drought relief handouts specific to Moneragala was tantamount to illegal campaigning.
Puffing in the face of the growing inferno, Deshapriya has urged Police Chief N.K. Illangakoon to assist in dismantling illegal offices and put the Province in order before lives are lost. Yet both officials are far from convincing Opposition candidates or the public of the efficacy of their actions. Top ruling party politicians have been merely content to respond to allegations with more accusations. Any meaningful action has been sidelined in the tit-for-tat word war.
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, the 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.
