Voters should have knowledge of party manifestos and their candidates

A paradigm shift in voter, political and media culture is imperative, if we are to free our country from this corrupt abyss and achieve meaningful national and economic independence – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

By Bernard Fernando 

Therefore, at the oncoming General Election, we as concerned voters will eagerly await the much-delayed ‘electoral reforms’ to be included in the respective election manifestos heralding a ‘new normal’ through a paradigm shift in our political culture as they  would surely be beneficial to both the country and genuine political professionals. 

Accordingly, we expect the following simple, meaningful and cost saving measures that will inter-alia mitigate constraints forced by future contagions such as COVID-19, to be entrenched in such ‘electoral reforms’.

Electoral system reforms

1) Abolition of the wretched ‘Preference Voting’ system, National List system and ‘crossover’ mechanism, leading to the adoption of a simpler, more effective, low cost and non-violent Proportionate Representation (PR) method combined with ‘District Merit Lists’ of election candidates.

2) Ensuring the sovereignty and dignity of the voters by making the ‘election manifesto’ a prosecutable document that will dissuade power-hungry political parties from making false promises.

3) All seat winning parties including smaller parties like TNA and JVP to be represented in the Cabinet, by applying PR arithmetic to determine the constitutionally specified number (30) of Cabinet portfolios. It will guarantee a permanent  ‘National Government,’ strengthening the ‘Sri Lankan identity’ while answering the promised ‘+’component of the much maligned 13th Amendment which has become irreversible due to its international implications.

4) As a result, the present ambiguous provision to increase the number of Cabinet portfolios in the event of forming a ‘National Government’ can be repealed.

5) Best practices demand that the president acts as a ‘statesman’ cum ‘caretaker’ of the people devoid of political hues, ethnicity and religion. Accordingly, the president shall play a ‘non-partisan’ role during his term of office. A major reason behind the last peaceful and corrupt free Presidential Election was the neutrality observed by the former President.

6) If in the opinion of the people, the president still has some dictatorial powers left, they should be removed to promote him as a people-friendly, leader of the State.

7) The political and public outcry for the last two-and-a-half decades have been to abolish the executive presidency. In the event, it does not happen, conduct both Presidential and National Elections on one day, specified by the Constitution to obtain much rational election results from voters at an appreciable lower cost.

8) Provincial Council Elections also to be held on a constitutionally determined date after making appropriate amendments demanded by these proposals.

9) Pradeshiya Sabhas should be depoliticised, allowing the people to elect independent, educated, social-minded, acceptable/respectable persons with high integrity in the locality in keeping with the much-hyped ‘Grama Rajya’ concept. At local level, people need grass-root development facilitators and not politicians who are invariably compelled to recover their campaign expenditure by hook or by crook leading to bribery and corruption. Also, the existing number of PS members should be rationalised.

10) Legalise minimum eligibility criteria for candidates contesting at General and PC Elections so that the voters can rely on the quality of the candidates in the ‘District Merit Lists’.

11) The role of MPs as lawmakers to be limited to making legislation, local and foreign policy, approving, directing and monitoring national budgets and national level projects. All other developmental and administration activities at Provincial and Local Government levels to be handled by the President through Provincial Governors and Local Government machinery.

12) Arising from the aforementioned role, rationalisation, abolish the five-year pension scheme, duty free vehicle concession and decentralised budgetary allocations to MPs.

13) MPs’ salaries and perks to be recommended by an independent committee comprising productivity and work study experts, as MPs colluding to increase their own salaries and perks is tantamount to a ‘conflict of interest’.

Minimum qualifications for candidates

The second most important factor to be reckoned by the voters is the overall quality and the capability of the district level teams fielded by the respective parties/alliances to implement their election manifestos and policy statements. 

The minimum eligibility criteria proposed under the revised ‹March 12›declaration spearheaded by PAFFREL coupled with a minimum education and sterling qualities such as honesty, decency, wisdom and an active social integration record can be considered as key yard sticks to assess the  candidates already in the fray for the oncoming election.

In this regard, while expressing our gratitude to all civil organizations and activists led by PAFFREL who are working towards educating the public on the minimum eligibility criteria required by the revised ‹March 12› manifesto, we exhort that a leaflet containing these qualifications and qualities be made available to the voting public. 

We also salute the President and the Chairman of the Election Commission, who have boldly urged the voters not to cast their precious votes in favour of undisciplined, corrupt individuals with dubious records. In this regard, we reiterate that those former MPs who do not possess minimum educational qualifications; who have not submitted their assets and liabilities statements and those miscreants, who desecrated the sacred Parliament, should also be treated as disqualified by the voters.

To make this happen, we appeal to all patriotic mainstream, and the social media to continue to educate all voters regarding the ‘positives’ and the ‘negatives’ of the candidates. we are happy to note that some electronic media have already commenced this exercise.

Conclusion

A paradigm shift in voter, political and media culture is imperative, if we are to free our country from this corrupt abyss and achieve meaningful national and economic independence. These reforms will undoubtedly banish ‹confrontational politics› from the sacred Parliament and allow the country to develop through a mechanism of ‘consensual politics›. 

In a patriotic, professional environment, there is no need to adopt double-dealing tactics to garner two-thirds power. ‘Hung’ or ‘Unstable’ Parliament will become obsolete terms.

We are optimistic about this paradigm-shift becoming a reality at a time when a President who is averse to corrupt politics but values ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, discipline, simplicity, productivity and law and order is in the 

driving seat.