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21st November 1999

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Election News


Candidate says his 'nekatha' nullified

By Shelani de Silva

Presidential candidate Ariyadasa Dassanayake has complained of discrimination when he was not allowed to enter from the main gate meant for candidates to enter the Election Secretariat on nomination day last Tuesday.

All candidates had received written instructions as to which gate they should use when handing in nominations.

On nomination day Mr. Dasanayake had used the entrance through the Parliament road as instructed.

"When we reached the barricade, an ASP directed us to use the other gate. I explained that we were asked by the Commissioner to use this entrance. Another officer came up to us and said this entrance was only for PA members. I argued as to how they can classify in this manner since even President Chandrika Kumaratunga is only a candidate," he said.

He added that he had spent a few minutes arguing and then used the other entrance.

"I was the last candidate to enter the Secretariat and the most disappointing fact was that I missed out on the auspicious time I was given to hand over the nomination. This shows the kind of tactics we will see during the run up to the elections," he said.

Meanwhile the candidates have raised another matter with the commissioner since President Kumaratunga had brought more than three members into the office.

The candidates brought up the issue at Thursday's meeting with the Commissioner. However Minister S B Dissanayake had defended the move on security grounds.

When the issue was raised he had said that there had been animals at the Secretariat, to which the secretaries had reacted and asked the minister to apologise. After a heated argument he had apologised and walked out.


PA feels pulse of the people

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Following many other political parties, the ruling People's Alliance government has also conducted an opinion poll which seeks to identify the PA's failures and successes, performance and the leadership of each party and even as to who should be retained in a future PA Cabinet.image

Accordingly, this survey is conducted by young volunteers who have been assigned to visit houses individually and collect data from persons above 18 years.

The opinion poll classifies interviewees into four groups. Interviewees have to give their five priority concerns out of 13 listed and fill a comparison of the UNP and the PA rule. The areas selected for this comparison are the quality of life, democratization of society, attracting foreign investment, poor relief, imposition of morality, just society, media freedom, crime combating and other issues.

Another section compared the fulfilment of salient pledges by the PA as opposed to the UNP, an assessment of the political future of the three main parties and their leadership.

A further section seeks to list the qualities essential in a president and on specific areas such as political leadership, honesty, impartiality etc. A comparison of President Kumaratunga and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is also made.

A special cage is to be filled by those who refrained from duly filling the form due to fear of political victimization. Questions have also been included about the future of the political package, as to who should be retained as ministers in a future PA Cabinet, whether the UNP dissident group has strengthened the PA, and the ability of the PA and UNP leadership to grapple with the present problems.


CBK going east, but doubts about north

By Shelani de Silva.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga is scheduled to visit the Eastern Province but has yet to decide on visiting the North on the campaign trail.

President Kumaratunga has directed her ministers to start campaigning in the East to woo the minority vote which has proved important for the People's Alliance.

PA General Secretary D. M. Jayaratne told The Sunday Times that due to security reasons the President was yet to decide on visiting the North.

"It is as important as the East but due to security reasons we are yet to decide. Campaigning by the local leaders in these areas has already begun," he said.

The PA has decided to distribute booklets, outlining the policies to the people as part of its election campaign. Three leaflets will be issued with one from the President explaining the reason for early elections and the PA's plans for the next century. A second leaflet will be from the PA and SLFP members urging the people to vote for President Kumaratunga.

"We have already begun the campaign involving the local leaders. There will be several meetings in villages. The president will address the election meetings in districts," the Minister said.


My pact — Ranil's act

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has reiterated that if elected as president , he would push through legislation for the setting up of independent elections, police and public service commissions.

In addition, he would implement the "Media Reform Bill" which seeks to introduce revolutionary changes to the local media.

Outlining "My Pact With the People", at a special Manifesto launching ceremony in Colombo, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the responsibility of the three independent commissions would be to eradicate political interference. And as for the Media Reform Bill, he remarked that this was languishing in Parliament due to deliberate delays by the government.

He emphasized that Parliament would be dissolved only after these reforms were carried through. In the future, the Supreme Court will be solely responsible for ensuring that laws do not conflict with the Constitution.

"The people of Sri Lanka especially the minorities deserve a directly elected chief executive who stands above the fray of political battle. This person could be a president, accountable to Parliament or a directly elected prime minister who will sit in Parliament yet hold special executive powers," the manifesto states.

Once the new Parliament is elected he would present it with these options and ask it to decide, the Manifesto reads.

Referring to the ongoing war in the North and East, Mr. Wickremesinghe said he would not be the next Minister of Defence. Instead a minister would be appointed to oversee administrative functions while a separate War Council including military top brass would be set up to handle the war devoid of political interference.

Competence and integrity would be the main criteria for military appointments, he said, adding that the make up of the armed forces should reflect the ethnic mix of the country. A new and powerful authority responsible for disabled soldiers, retired servicemen and bereaved dependants would be created as a priority concern.

An independent procurement executive will be set up to draw up guidelines to prevent corruption in procurements so as to ensure that the valuable lives of service personnel are not compromised, the manifesto reads. And the Intelligence establishment is to be restructured into a professional service used for national security and not for political spying.

The UNP also proposes the restructuring of the Police so that people may respect the Police force, free of political control and with laws in place to back them up in their duties. In future, the OIC and ASP are to be held responsible for the prevention of crimes in their respective areas. To achieve these goals, a Ministry of the Interior will be appointed for the Police Force.

Sports, arts and culture are to be purged from political interference. On the GST, which he sees as a badly implemented tax imposed upon the people of this country, would be modified and retained as a more equitable tax after the widest possible consultations.

As safeguards for the farming community, the UNP has proposed to prevent the flooding of unrestricted imports and establish floor prices for selected crops to protect farmers from price fluctuations.

In response to many queries posed to the UNP presidential candidate by A/L students about the education reforms and the special exam for university entrance, Mr.Wickreme-singhe has given a categorical assurance that he will abolish this special university entrance examination which will be, in practice, a bottleneck.

The independent Public Service Commission will be entrusted with the task of effecting appointments, transfers and promotions of teachers, principals and education administrators without political interference.

Another salient policy of the UNP policy is to ensure the welfare of the migrant workers and their families through a separate Ministry for Migrant Workers.


From Our Election Desk

Candidates like toothpaste — but a bad taste

By Faraza Farook, Nilika de Silva and Tania Fernando

The countdown has begun, with four weeks separating 12 presidential candidates from one president, and the media have become the most sought after commodity in the market.

Party supporters are ever willing to attack each other over a place in the sun for their candidate. The UNP supporters pasting posters in Mirihana were attacked last Monday night and another incident took place at Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake's office within hours.

Posters, an essential communication tool to publicize an event or campaign message of a particular candidate mar city walls and buses, and do not even spare the dustbin. Roundabouts are festooned in blue, turn green overnight and vice versa.

Both the print and electronic media are working overtime to stress the importance of the upcoming elections, but surprisingly the election fever seems to have not touched the public, who appear jaded and utterly bored.

Since advertisements have taken over, some private media have stopped playing the role of being the mouthpiece only of the government or the opposition, and are splashing propaganda for anybody who has the money.

While trying to give a balanced view of the political scenario the different media end up carrying contradictory messages due to the "paid advertisements" which run alongside articles giving a very one-sided picture and leaving the readers confused.

However, the state television remains untouched by news regarding political opponents. PA advertising and coverage over the media is being carried out on a much larger scale than its main rival, the UNP.

Professional musicians, singers and artists are lending their voices to campaign meetings to popularise their candidates. Advise on campaign strategy from international experts has enhanced parties that can afford such luxuries.

The same foreign company which was helping with the late President Premadasa's image building is said to be providing UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe with tips.

And the latest poster of Ranil Wickremesinghe shows a debonair presidential candidate smiling boyishly with his signature sprawled across, subliminally telling the public here's a star.

Meanwhile, the PA candidate, in stark contrast is portrayed as a mature, maternal figure with her very symbolic streak of grey hair, recalling Indira Gandhi.

So while the main candidates are being marketed like toothpaste, what do the people feel they are going to get out of this election?

Though the candidates can be groomed to a certain extent there are moments when all defences are down, as seen last week, when the President came to hand in her nominations. She was obviously flustered, to the point that she ignored the mikes, turned her back on the cameras and fled up the staircase at the Elections Secretariat. No 'image guru' could do anything at that moment.

Many surveys have been conducted to gauge the popularity of the presidential candidates, especially the two main contenders, and it is believed that the candidates use the information revealed to improve on their images.

The PA adopts a separate strategy when marketing its presidential candidate to the rural masses. Once a week a survey is carried out to see the latest popularity ranking of the President, and statistics disclose that only in the Kalutara district does the candidate need to be projected more forcefully.

The UNP claims that statistics show favourable results for its candidate.

Though there is competition between parties and while candidates use each others campaign strategy to perfect their own, this is all done in a covert way.

The PA campaign planners state that they knew six months in advance that elections were on the cards and therefore carried out their work. There is nothing left to be done, they say.

Independent candidates and minor parties have been left out of this media rat race, which is said to be an effective ingredient, in helping them project their personality. Although the main two parties have access to unlimited resources, the minor parties and independent candidates are left in the lurch due to the lack of funds. However, in their opinion it is due to the fact that they don't find it very beneficial.

The public feel that the voice (not the metaphorical one) of Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe is not captivating, whereas the President speaks in a stronger voice which draws attention. The image builders of the UNP claim that they are in the process of building a stronger voice and portrays him as the best choice.

Irvin Weerakkody, the media spokesman for the UNP campaign was however of the view that Mr. Wickremesinghe is projecting himself forcefully, passionately and emotionally.

Soon giant TV screens are to make their way to the villages to take the message of development work achieved by the President right to their door steps. These TV screens which will be placed in community halls and other such places where the public gathers, will be used to enhance the President's campaign.


Running without reason

With a record number of presidential candidates vying for the December 21 election, the people appear unfazed by this phenomenon.

Many say they will continue to vote the way they used to and sudden entrants do not seem to erode the vote bases of the three main contenders.

Questions are being raised as to whether the independent candidates will be able to recover their Rs. 75,000 deposits or whether theirs is largely going to be an expensive joke. For instance, one candidate Tenneyson Edirisooriya says he will spoil his own vote and has called on his supporters to do the same.

It has become a debatable issue whether this is all a move to take away from the votes of the major parties or if the voters are fed up with the ruling party and its opposition are searching for an alternative. But only time will tell.

However, some say "breaking" votes ("Chanda kadanawa") will not become an issue since the preferential system is in place, and therefore it is a meaningless exercise.

While one candidate states he is coming forward as a presidential candidate to request the people to spoil their votes, another claims that as a Sri Lankan citizen, contesting the election is one of his basic rights.

It is apparent that these candidates will not gain many votes and their reasons for participation remain obscure. In many instances they themselves appear to not have a substantial reason for running.


NE polls: Fears and doubts

An estimated 750,000 people in the North and East are registered as voters. But there are fears that in the event that polling booths are inaccessible, large scale rigging of votes could take place as was seen in other areas during the provincial elections.

Military sources say that so far no concrete decisions have been taken regarding logistics of the polling in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

Meanwhile, the Acting Elections Commissioner D.M.P.B. Dassanayake said that since the situation was changing day by day, he would be holding a meeting soon with the security officers of these areas to ensure a peaceful election.

Moreover, the displaced persons of the Vavuniya and Padaviya regions are doubtful as to whether they will be able to exercise their ballot.

A question also arises as to whether refugees from other parts of the island who are staying with relatives and friends would be granted an opportunity of voting. And if so who will monitor whether such a person's vote is not duplicated?

It is therefore clear that unless those in power step up operations, set up polling booths at convenient places, and strive to ensure free and fair elections, the Presidential polls could end up a farcical exercise in the North and East.


The voter is left with little choice

By Farah Mihlar

There is something quite abnormal about this presidential election. Normally the choice is between the known devil and the unknown angel. This time it appears to be between the well-known devils.

The growing dissent and dissatisfaction amongst the public towards Sri Lankan politicians and the lack of a substantial choice of a presidential candidate will result in more people either crossing out (invalidating) their votes or boycotting the polls at the upcoming elections, political analysts say.

Several political, religious and social leaders have called on the public to spoil their vote at this election and for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, there is a presidential candidate who is also campaigning for the public to spoil their votes.

"This country has declined economically and morally in the past 50 years. This I think is mainly because of the politicians," says independent candidate Tennyson Edirisuriya. "We need politicians, and the only way to reform them is by expressing discontent."

Mr. Edirisuriya describes himself as a non-contestant at the polls and is merely an individual who submitted nominations solely to rally public support, through the media and political meetings, for this cause.

Bala Tampoe, head of the powerful Ceylon Mercantile Workers Union, has also called on the voters to cross out their ballot papers. Mr. Tampoe says he has called for the protest action to oppose the executive presidential system.

"We oppose a system which vests the entire executive power of the state in the President," he says. "We are calling on the people to spoil their votes. Legally this may mean a rejected vote, politically it is an unofficial declaration of the lack of confidence in the presidential system," he says. According to Mr. Tampoe, at the last provincial council elections, some 360,000 people spoilt their votes while only some 110,000 people voted for the JVP, which is considered a third force in the country. He says this election may attract about a million spoilt votes but independent analyst say the figure will be much lower.

Religious leaders such as Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera have also called on the public to spoil their votes, saying the lack of a moral leader leaves the people with no option but to spoil their votes. Minority political leaders have requested the voters to stay away from the polls in protest against the present system. Kumar Ponnambalam, leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, is calling on Tamil voters to boycott the polls and not to lend their support to a Sinhala candidate who will not redress their grievances.

"While Tamils are suffering… they (the government) want to have a tamasha of an election to satisfy their vanity," he says, adding "It must be opposed, people should not get involved in such an exercise and show the world there is normalcy in the North and East."

Political analysts say voter dissatisfaction under the present political climate is understandable but spoiling a vote is not the answer to their problems.

"I can understand the sense of alienation and frustration of the voter because for the first time since 1947 the voter is not faced with any clear-cut choice or alternative," says Dayan Jayatilleke. "But once you spoil your vote, you are opting out of the democratic process," he says.

Mr. Jayatilleke says the best way to overcome such problems is to become pro-active by using the vote as a tool to attract political attention to important issues. "The answer is more through lobbying and pressure groups: to adopt a system where issues are dealt with," he adds.

The argument is difficult to sell to a dissatisfied voter who has lost confidence in politicians and prefers to stay away from the democratic process. "Democracy does not exist in this country. How can you have an election in areas where there is no normalcy?" asks Mr. Ponnambalam.

In cricketing parlance, extras may notch up the highest score. In this election, spoilt votes are poised to become the substantial 'extras', and who knows, the leader of the pack.


11 more UNP MPs crossing, says Jayaratne

By Shelani de Silva

Government leaders are holding secret meetings with at least 11 more UNP MPs amidst moves to introduce legislation enabling cross-overs, PA General Secretary D M Jayaratne told The Sunday Times.image

"We will finalise things soon. These MPs have told us they are not happy with the UNP leadership and want to support the President. Besides the 11 MPs, there are about 70 PS members who will be joining the PA," he said.

The minister said the MPs had not been offered perks or portfolios as an inducement. "At the moment they have not been offered anything, but after the elections things might change. All of them have vowed to support the PA at the elections,' he said.

Commenting on certain disagreements between PA ministers and the UNP cross-over members, he said: "There were some disagreements but things have been settled. This is not a new thing. Whenever a member from the opposition joins the government all the members won't agree. But President Kumaratunga did consult all the PA members before the cross over."


Vigilance group makes proposals

The National Vigilance Movement (NVG) has made proposals to the Elections Commissioner to ensure a free and fair poll at the forthcoming Presidential Elections.

Sixteen proposals were made to the Commissioner to prevent or reduce a repetition of the Wayamba terror.

Among the suggestions were to record every activity that takes place at the polling booth including visits by any person or group other than registered voters, dispersion of congregation of people (more than five) within 500 metres of a polling station and the operation of political party booths within that range, to observe insertion of ballot papers to make sure that only one ballot paper is inserted by one voter, to issue tendered ballot papers to voters who report that their votes have already been cast and to take into custody un-numbered vehicles and those with garage numbers.


Northern voter challenges poll

A voter of the Jaffna district has filed a Fundamental Rights application in the Supreme Court, asking that the poll be cancelled because conditions in he north and east would not permit a free and fair election.

B. Vasanthan of Chunnakam in his petition said that although voting for the Presidential election should be free and equal according to the constitution, conditions in the North and East did not permit such freedom or equality.

He said the LTTE also had threatened to kill anyone who took part in the election and thus if an election was held under these circumstances, it would be decided by the majority Sinhala Buddhists living in areas outside the North and East. He also said that the recent appointment of an acting commissioner of elections was not legitimate and left room for suspicion that the poll would not be fair.


UNP carries on

The main opposition UNP has launched its political campaign with renewed vigour in rural areas, despite the grenade attack in Eppawela last week.

UNP General Secretary Gamini Atukorale said the party had formally launched its programme of action and that people were responding to it in a positive manner.

"We are humble enough to admit that there have been errors and omissions on our part, and the new UNP seeks to correct the past wrongs and enter into a pact with the people for a prosperous Sri Lanka," he said.

'The UNP which uses hi-tech microphones and mega screens when necessary in the run up to the presidential poll also conducts at least five pocket meetings and secondary level meetings. They have also planned massive rallies for the evening. The Opposition Leader is scheduled to tour the South in the coming week, while another phase of the party's poster campaign is to begin simultaneously.

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