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The National Election Commission has finally announced that nominations for the local government elections will be received from January 18 to January 21.

After several weeks of speculation that the local government elections will not be held by the due date, the National Election Commission has laid down the timelines for the local government elections.  

It said elections should have been held in March last year, after the completion of the term of office of local bodies, but the then Government, using the powers vested in the Local Government Minister, extended the term of office for local government bodies for another one year.

Hence the need to hold elections before March this year.

However, despite the date for nominations being announced doubts are being expressed in various quarters whether the elections will be postponed.

Opposition parties clearly want an election, while the Government seems to be fighting shy of an election.

There are also several cases filed in the courts asking that the election be held, while there is one case that has been instituted seeking a postponement of the elections.

According to media reports, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has claimed that Sri Lanka will set a world record if it holds the local government polls at this time, because no other country faced with a similar economic crisis would spend such a substantial amount of money on an election.

The argument that there aren’t enough funds to conduct an election hardly holds water as the Government is constitutionally mandated to provide funds for the exercise of the people’s franchise at stipulated times.

While the local government elections will be a litmus test of the Government’s performance during the past three years, no substantial difference will be caused in the quality of governance in the country.

When viewed from that perspective, the national interest would be better served if Parliamentary elections were held instead.

Parliamentary elections will provide the people with an opportunity to elect new members of Parliament and vote out those who the people believe have failed. Such a change in the composition of Parliament would have a positive impact on the quality of governance thereby giving a boost to efforts to revive the economy.

While the likelihood of the local government polls being held is being debated by political parties and the people, it is interesting to examine whether there is the likelihood of any qualitative change in the nature of the representation that is likely to emerge from the elections.

Unfortunately, the indications are not positive with political parties pursuing the same old way of choosing candidates.

Applications are called for from those interested in contesting the forthcoming elections and such applicants are hurriedly interviewed by panels of party seniors. What criteria is followed in selecting such candidates is not known and even if such criteria are laid down, how a quick interview can determine whether a candidate fits the bill is difficult to imagine.

While different criteria may be required in respect of the different representative bodies, there are some qualities that should inform the choice of candidates irrespective of whether the individual is seeking election to a local body, provincial council or Parliament.

The individual must be genuinely supportive of and believe in the policies of the party on whose ticket he or she wishes to contest. Over the years he or she should have shown a commitment to work for the welfare of the people. The individual should be a person who does not have a violent disposition and should be respectful of other peoples’ views.

The aspirant to be a candidate should be one who is respectful of other communities and can win the confidence of other communities. This quality is particularly useful at local government level, where the candidate will be one of the building blocks of communal harmony.

A high level of integrity is also an asset in politics. Here one does not think only of financial integrity but also political integrity where one will not change political loyalties for perks and positions.

While educational levels and capacity of the individuals concerned are important, the parties should be wary of the ones who have “the gift of the gab” and can talk the hind legs off a donkey but lack social or political vision.

In the past, the local government system was the nursery through which political giants such as N.M. Perera, J.R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa, Bernard Soyza, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, M.H. Mohamed, Meena Ratnam, A.H.M. Fowzie and Haleem Ishak to name a few, emerged.

Will the candidates whom the political parties choose for the forthcoming elections have the potential to emulate and reach such eminence and become visionary leaders?

(javidyusuf@gmail.com)