Stage set for secret-ballot SLC polls
View(s):Elections Dept to monitor proceedings, venue moved to neutral grounds
By S.R. Pathiravithana
Come Tuesday, in spite of the two main positions being already decided – uncontested — there will be 38 others from the Thilanga Sumathipala and Jayantha Dharmadasa camps vying for twenty five posts at Sri Lanka Cricket elections, which will take place at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall from 10.30 a.m. onwards.
Initially the contestants to the post of president were Upali Dharmadasa, Thilanga Sumathipala and a third candidate – Sumith Perera. Upali’s brother Jayantha though he had obtained special permission from the Sports Minister as he had not played any first class cricket, refrained from coming forward as a candidate when nominations were called on February 28.
Subsequently all three candidates fell foul with the existing and newly introduced amendments to the Sports Law and were rejected by a committee appointed to ascertain their eligibility. Then as the only person remaining with proper credentials, the SLC executive committee nominated Jayantha Dharmadasa to run for the April 16 elections uncontested.
Even the eligibility of the other uncontested candidate, Nishantha Ranatunga, was challenged at courts by Chilaw Marians’ Nishantha Silva, but Ranatunga overcame that hurdle on legal grounds. He is now the only candidate for the post of secretary.
However, the officials elected on April 16 will serve two, two-year terms instead of the tested-and-failed one year terms of the past as a result of the new amendments to the Sports Law. After the first two years, the Ministry of Sports will evaluate the performances of the serving officials and decide if they could continue for the balance period.
Besides the two top posts, all the other elected members will be elected in a secret ballot, with the show-of-hands method practised in the past being abandoned. However, some sections of the cricketing community are against the secret ballot, the Sunday Times learns.
The usual practice is that each club, association or state-institution cricket body will meet separately and decide on a candidate they should support. This is done through a majority vote. Once the decisions are taken the membership entrusts one/two (according to the number of votes each institution is entitled to) members of the respective institution to cast votes at the elections.
However, some point out that under the secret ballot system the rest of the membership will not be able to know as to whom their appointed member/members have voted for. For instance, the club or the association may decide on Candidate A, but the member who will be voting on behalf of the club or association may vote for Candidate B. Thus there is room for corrupt practices like vote-buying.
Also for the first time the election will not be held with the incumbent president and an appointee from the Ministry of Sports presiding over matters. The SLC has now decided to utilise the services of the Election Commissioner’s Department to conduct the elections. Even the ballot boxes are to be provided by the Elections Department, it is learnt.
Secretary Ranatunga explained that they made a request to the Elections Department to help them out in this instance and they have obliged.
According to the new sports law, any member who is elected to any post will not be eligible to run for elections in the next term. He will have to stay out for one term and could make a come-back, but not in the same position that he held before.
Ironically there are only four contestants for Sponsorship Committee, where there are five positions. An SLC official told the Sunday Times that the vacant position would be filled at the annual general meeting on April 16.
Incidentally both K. Mathivanan and Ajitha Pasqual, who also had petitions filed against them, have been cleared to contest.
It is reported that the elections for the available posts are being touted in all their glory. It is said that some, who are in opposite camps, are promising voters that they were willing to fall in line with the majority and work towards the development of cricket.
Meanwhile, the SLC has instructed its security head – former DIG Camillus Abeygoonewardena to beef up security at the venue, knowing that some of the past elections had ended up in mayhem.
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