Over to the mass media, civil rights activists and sovereign voters

Thursday, 5 March 2020 02:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Despite much hype on the declared General Elections, it is quite evident that the current Parliamentarians, barring a few, will not support the introduction of robust legal remedies to ensure selection of political professionals to the Legislature.

Therefore, the extra-judicial option available now is, for all civil rights activists/organisations including PAFFREL, CMEV and CAFFE et al to immediately start pressurising the political parties with full backing from the mass-media to select and nominate honourable, decent and uncorrupt political professionals with education acceptable to society to contest at the General Elections.

Towards this end, we believe that the selection criteria agreed under the ‘All Party March 12 declaration – 2015’ has already been further strengthened to include asset declarations, minimum educational/professional qualifications and a health certificate. The contesting political parties were forewarned by the public through the media to apply this new set of criteria supported by a transparent, ‘structured interview’ system to select their candidates. Religious leaders, some civil organisations, the social media and some print and electronic media have already started stressing on this dire need to have decent, political professionals in Parliament.

Under the next phase which should begin after the publication of the respective party nomination lists in the press, the voters have to be adequately educated on the need to cast their vote to the party which fields candidates who best qualify to enter the Parliament. Towards this end, the media can play a dominant role by publishing the profiles of all candidates on a district-wise basis. No doubt, the parties will engage in canvassing through pocket meetings to highlight the qualities of their candidates in addition to their party policy manifestos and action plans. If they are still found to have ignored the aforesaid voter preferred criteria, the ineligible nominees should be named, exposed and rejected by the social and mass media before the elections, so that parties that field such ineligible candidates will be compelled to suffer at the elections.

We should remember that ‘Preference Voting’ is optional and therefore a mere vote to a party symbol is still a valid vote. Voters also have to be educated properly about the party ‘election manifestos’ and the quality of the candidates repeatedly through social and mass media.

After witnessing the ugly tantrums by MPs in the Parliament during that infamous ’26 October’ drama, the intelligent and decent masses with country at heart are now waiting anxiously for this change to happen. We are confident that the mass media will continue to support this national effort and energise civil society!

In the meantime, election offences such as environment pollution through posters, cut-outs, polythene and non-biodegradable materials should be nipped in the bud by rigorously enforcing the existing laws.

We appeal to all voters with country at heart to turn a new leaf in our political culture by exercising their sovereign right wisely to ensure restoration of sanity, decency, law and order in our supreme Parliament without becoming victims of undue influence, false promises and bribes in cash or kind.

Bernard Fernando

Moratuwa