Editorial

The last lot of the 2006 local government elections originally planned for March was held yesterday to some of the more important Councils such as the Colombo and Galle Municipalities. Yet as the results come in, one is left with the nagging thought of whether it's just a change of pillows for the same headache.

The fact that the pillows must change goes without saying but there is much more to be done to cure the headache of local government in this country.

For starters, the system of electing one's representative to these councils is in urgent need of reform. How many voters had any idea about the background or credentials of the candidates whom they were voting for yesterday, or at the previous elections in March?

The utter confusion caused by a twisted law that disqualifies the entire list of a political party merely because of a 'technical error' relating to one man on that list, did not help - in the 20 councils contested yesterday.

Undoubtedly, the law must be interpreted by the Courts the way it is, but when the law is an ass, the legislators had better do something about it.

The opposition UNP complains that this happened before - in the 2002 elections. Then both sides of the political spectrum were the victims of this law that disqualifies an entire set of candidates if one candidate's qualifications are in question. But nothing was done to rectify this glaring anomaly in the democratic process and now, it has happened to both main parties once again. And, probably, nothing will be done in the future to rectify it either.

The other issue is the need to re-introduce the ward-member system into local government elections. The very concept of local government is that it is representative government at the 'grassroots'. But what earthly use is it if the voter does not know his representative and if that representative is going to enter the council by the some part-fair; part-unfair proportional representation system.

While there is some justification in continuing with at least part of the proportional representation system for Parliament, because the total vote must reflect the will of the entire country; this does not augur well for a system based essentially on 'grassroots' representation, which deals with a citizen's basic amenities and his immediate environment.

If a voter does not know who his or her local council representative is, then he or she might as well opt for a Special Commissioner to run the Council. Such a Special Commissioner, as has been the case in the past, might even make a darn sight better job of it than the elected representatives who over the years have done everything in their power to break the council's own laws, dispensing political favours in return for rewards in cash and kind.

They have been hand-in-glove with council staff in approving unauthorised constructions, passing illegal building plans and getting certificates of conformity issued for all the wrong reasons. It would be better, therefore, so much better in fact, to either have a Special Commissioner, provided he or she is honest and hardworking and can run a council without the pressures faced by politicians to do the wrong thing.

The alternative would be to have a proper representative system.

What we have is neither; just a halfway house that is breeding corruption faster than mosquitoes.

We have repeatedly referred to this, but it would seem that nowadays shouting oneself hoarse is the only way to penetrate the thick skins of the powers-that-be. We have also supported the need to inject more finances to local councils, because of the importance of their work in making the day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens smoother.

And we have suggested that one way of channeling funds to these councils is by getting rid of the thoroughly inept white elephants that are the Provincial Councils. Readers might recall that the ruling party of today - backed by the JVP - vehemently opposed the PCs when this system was introduced in 1987 but now seems quite comfortable with the opportunities it affords their party-men at the public's expense while benefiting from its largesse.

And so, today will be the day, political parties and their respective leadership will be doing their post-mortems; some licking their wounds, others crowing about their successes. But whether there were any victories for the voter is another matter.

Going by yesterday's voter turnout, the indications are that election fatigue and voter apathy are at their nadir. There is no doubt that the possibility that elections can make any change to the lives of the citizens is being seriously questioned by the populace.

It is very much the duty of the Central Government to give these councils the encouragement and support to serve the citizen better. But if one is to go by the way the Central Government itself is being run, there would be much to be desired in this aspect as well.