Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said at a recent press conference that it is difficult to conduct election propaganda without posters, banners, cutouts and so on.
I would humbly request the Minister to either visit Australia or speak to an Australian citizen about how to do propaganda without posters, banners and cutouts.
I was in Australia during the last Australian general elections. There were no banners or cutouts or election rallies.
These are prohibited by law in that country. It is compulsory for every citizen to vote at an election. If someone fails to comply, the defaulting voter can be punished in a court of law. Election propaganda and election debates are broadcast on television. If we adopt the Australian system, we can save a lot of money that would be otherwise spent on posters, etc. Also, we will avoid a lot of ugly scenes among voters.
Professor Tissa Vitharana and Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who are presently involved with amendments to the Constitution, should seriously consider the Australian model.
M. N. de Zoyza,
Mount Lavinia |
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