Unethical elections

IT is election week again. As the instances of abuse of State property and violence increase, many view the next few days with more than a little trepidation.

The Elections Department for the first time will have its own monitors at next Saturday’s provincial elections and will enforce more security measures to ensure the polls are not disrupted, Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told media. The elections are to be held for the provincial councils in the North Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces, where 3.3 million voters are due to vote.

Reports over the weekend quoted Deshapriya as saying that the Elections Secretariat would appoint three monitors to each polling booth to ensure no malpractice takes place and if there was any disruption, they would alert the Additional Commissioner to decide on what action to be taken.

Deshapriya said a new sticker would be pasted inside every ballot box and another seal outside the box. The sticker and the seal would be different in different booths to counter any claims that ballot boxes were changed after the polls. He said senior officials would be sent to the Anuradhapura District as he feared most incidents could take place there.

The new security measures came amid reports of mounting violence, mostly in the Eastern Province. In the latest incident, supporters of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) clashed in Akkaraipattu on Friday afternoon, with at least six vehicles being damaged.

An SLMC spokesman said the incident took place when General Secretary Hassan Ali and some candidates were going for a meeting. He claimed Police who were deployed in the area had been withdrawn, enabling UPFA supporters to surround and assault the SLMC group.

Among the other incidents was an attack on SLMC female supporters campaigning in Eravur. Seven women were injured and hospitalised. A UPFA local council member contesting the elections was attacked in Kattankudy by another political group. A Tamil National Alliance supporter’s shop at Chenkaladi in Batticaloa was set on fire by suspected supporters of the UPFA last morning.

More than 290 incidents of violence and election-related offences had been reported to the Commissioner of Elections by Friday. These are worrying numbers, but it is unlikely that they will have an impact deep enough to change the normalisation of election violence in Sri Lanka.

Of the reported abuses, more than 240 related to the misuse of State property and illegal display of banners, cut-outs and posters. The majority of 80 complaints were from the Anuradhapura District, followed by 60 from the Ampara District and 40 from the Kegalle District. The lowest was from the Polonnaruwa District.

Last week, an 11-member team of election officials was sent to Anuradhapura after election law violations increased. A few days ago, another five special teams of election officials were sent to Dehiattakandiya, Ampara, Kantale, Seruwila and Polonnaruwa polling divisions to monitor the situation.

As predicted, drought aid passed by the Government is being used to woo voters. Given that these people have watched their livelihoods disappear and are severely suffering, using that for political purposes is probably the most reprehensible act of these elections. It is a pity that such unethical behaviour is not only endorsed by party leaders, but will likely not be punished at the upcoming polls.