Editorial

Next week’s long, long overdue local government elections are considered more of a popular litmus test of the eight-month-old JVP/NPP Government than about electing more than 8,000 councillors to 339 councils at the ‘grassroots’. Whether the voters who gave the incumbents an overwhelming victory to high office last year are in the mood for the same unfettered instincts remains to be seen.

The JVP/NPP rode to the seat of government on the shoulders of a national electorate that, fed up with the same old faces in public office and convinced that it was ‘time for a change’, even overlooked the fact they had been yanked out from an economic hellhole. They took the gamble of voting in an untested group. That accounted for the leapfrog in the ruling party’s vote base from previous elections, as the vast mass of disgruntled floating voters placed their fate and their future in their hands. It was the typical ‘unknown angel being better than the known devil’.

The first indications of the ruling party showing signs of jitters in the face of these elections were when its campaign thrust was all about asking the people to vote for it on the basis that Central Government funds would only be allocated to councils that the ruling party won. Even the President went around the country with this message asking why funds should be allocated to the corrupt, instantly drawing complaints that he was violating election laws. The Elections Commission was informed, but they, who talk daily about these elections, took a weak-kneed approach—one of their excuses being that their legal team was busy in courts with election petitions. That took them time to write to the President’s Office, they had the temerity to say.

The President backpedalled on what he said later, saying the Opposition was only putting the cap on as being the corrupt, but this did not deter his party from sending this same message to the people. They justified it at every turn even though the bulk of council funds are from the ratepayers and not necessarily from Central Government funds. The ruling party was accused of, once again, misleading the public to get their votes, but even more devastating was that these statements betrayed an authoritarian streak that had all the traces of a Chinese model one-party state, that one party having to be the JVP/NPP.

However powerful central governments are, they are uncomfortable when local government is not under their control. This is the case everywhere, whether in Britain, which is also having local elections these days, or states in larger countries like the USA and India. In India, the BJP government peddled a ‘one nation; one day; one election’ theory so that it could take ad-vantage of the national swing in its favour to transfer simultaneously to local state elections, though after its setback at the last elections, it has gone quiet on the subject. In many such state elections, voters vote for a national party at the national election and for regional parties at the state level.

The JVP/NPP have time on their side with no parliamentary or presidential election due till 2029. In fact, their leaders are asking the people who are desperately clamouring for results to wait patiently, arguing they have been elected for 60 months and only eight have gone by.

Yet, there is a sense of unease that they have been straitjacketed by existing circumstances coupled with inexperience in governance, showing thereby that the euphoria that greeted them late last year is beginning to evaporate.

The JVP/NPP marketing line continues to be that waste and corruption have been put to an end. While there is a kernel of truth in this, the bottom line for the electorate remains the cost of living and if their earnings can meet the monthly bills.

Next week’s elections, however, ought not to be about the Government’s popularity or other-wise—though it is always the case. Voters are expected to vote for a party or independent group. The voting at last year’s elections is the barometer for next week’s election. At the presidential election, the winner received less than 50 percent of the vote.

A fragmented Opposition is also to the advantage of the ruling party, even though its surge in the later parliamentary vote appears to have peaked. This splintered Opposition has been left to say, pathetically, they will get together ‘after the elections’ to defeat the JVP/NPP when the respective councils are constituted.

All this amounts to a prestige battle for both the governing party and their opponents when, in fact, it is all about electing persons who can best represent their local communities. Often the best will not get elected if they contest from the ‘wrong’ party. Conversely, some undesirables get in because they come from the ‘right’ party. That is why there is a school of thought that recommends local elections be devoid of political parties, but the chances of such ‘system change’ are as likely as ‘to toss one hundred coins and get one hundred heads’.

The outbreak of mosquito-borne virus infections such as dengue and chikungunya, especially in the capital, Colombo, and the hill capital, Kandy (overrun recently by garbage), has ex-posed the inefficiency on the part of the two councillors-less municipalities. The lack of these councillors to represent the residents is but part of the problem of local government.

Ever since priority was given to a party—where you vote for the party—the ward member’s role broke down, very much like the Member of Parliament who, rather than representing a constituency, had to represent a whole district. The bond between the community and the community leader was lost.

Back then, there was someone to take your troubles to—and ask for a favour, even to break the law, like getting a certificate of conformity (CoC) for an unauthorised building. This is arguably why there is little excitement within the electorate over these elections.

The political parties will nevertheless be going flat out for victory. Thursday’s May Day rallies were to shore up the party faithful and get them activated for next week’s elections. It is not so much about electing your community leaders in the cities, towns and villages; it’s more about the popularity or otherwise of the party in power and place in Colombo for bragging rights later.