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2020 polls: An election out of the ordinary
Of all Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka through the decades, the 2020 election is shaping up as out of the ordinary. It is being held amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, one that has already seen the poll postponed twice and necessitated unprecedented changes to the way elections are held here.
No, flags, no posters and no signs of a general election at Kegalle Town. Inset shows, police officers acting fast to paint over an election symbol drawn on the trunk of a wayside tree. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Gone are sprawling rallies with party leaders and key speakers or the beat shows that characterised mega polls events of yesteryear. So, too, are the banners, cut-outs and large groups canvassing house-to-house.
We saw President Gotabaya Rajapaksa lunching at the Silver-Ray Restaurant last Sunday with the usual retinue of Ratnapura District party candidates and their caravan of supporters. He was escorted to a private area — the reception hall — but the others thronged the dining area. Social distancing and health guidelines were thrown to the wind. They lined up for their rice and curry. The restaurant had not been forewarned. On Tuesday, in the more upmarket Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya, however, there was more order while the President consumed his midday meal.
As polling day nears, the last minute campaign is mainly for preferential votes. In Welimada, former Minister Ravindra Samaraweera was to meet us at 1 pm but left in a hurry when his supporters asked him to drop in at a funeral house before the body was lifted.
As the proportional representation (PR) system is, for a candidate, a battle with the enemy with a knife in front and your friend with a knife at the back, no one can take chances with the infamous ‘manapey’ (preferential vote). For the Opposition United National Party (UNP) and its breakaway Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), however, the fight is three-fold. 
A majority of MPs who represented the UNP at the last Parliament have broken away to form the SJB. And the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has formed an alliance with one-time rival Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). But infighting amongst the two groups has been on show throughout the campaign.
One of the major positives from the campaigning so far has been the absence of major election related violence, a hallmark of the past.
In this backdrop, the Sunday Times team travelled through the Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Central provinces this week. We covered the crucial battleground districts of Ratnapura, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Kegalle to see how the election is playing out as the August 5 poll approaches.
The strict enforcement of election laws by the Election Commission (EC) was largely in force. Restrictions on candidates maintaining their own election offices meant only the party office in any particular electorate is open. Even here, laws prohibiting propaganda hoardings containing preference number of the candidate were applied.
With the gazetting of new COVID-19 (Elections) Regulations by the Health Ministry last week, strict controls must apply in the conduct of campaign meetings, door-to-door canvassing and activities at election offices. Yet, we saw little evidence of enforcement.
In Ratnapura, we observed a group of SLPP activists doing house-to-house canvassing for Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi. They were led by the Chairman of a state corporation under her ministry. Many wore masks on their chins. They quickly wore them properly when they spied our photographer taking pictures. Parties largely disregarded social distancing guidelines laid down for election meetings.
There was enthusiasm among hardcore party supporters. Some candidates and party activists conceded, however, that ordinary voters appeared to keep away from political rallies. Was this out of a fear of COVID-19? Or voter fatigue after last November’s presidential election? It was difficult to say. But some expressed concern that turnout at the August 5 election could be lower than usual.
For candidates and their supporters, campaigning carried inherent health risks. The emergence of the Kandakadu COVID-19 cluster — with a significant number of close contacts of the infected found around the country — has raised alarm among some sections.
“We find it hard to believe the figures on COVID-19 infections given out by the Government,” one SJB activist in Badulla told us. “They might be hiding the real situation.” So they could not help but be concerned for their own safety whenever they went out canvassing. “I fear, too, that voter turnout might be lower than usual as people don’t believe the Government’s assurances,” he said.
SLPP activists felt differently. Upali Jayaratne, a party member of the Pelmadulla Pradeshiya Sabha, insisted that voters “had absolutely no fear of COVID-19”. He predicted they would turn up in large numbers to vote.
Nevertheless, he admitted the pandemic had significantly curtailed their campaign meetings. For instance, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was due to attend election meetings in the Pelmadulla electorate on Sunday (19), but canceled after a COVID-19 patient was found in the area.
Ratnapura District
Compared to other recent elections, voter enthusiasm for the 2020 Parliamentary poll appeared low, ground sources said. The Kandakadu COVID-19 cluster has had significant impact. Up to this week, five persons from the Ratnapura District associated with the Drug Rehabilitation Centre had been identified as infected.
The district has eight electorates and 11 Parliamentary seats are up for grabs. The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) secured six at the last Parliamentary election in 2015 while the United National Party-led United National Front got five. Turnout then was high, with 80.88% of eligible voters casting their ballots. The UPFA secured nearly 65% of the overall vote while the UNP won about 34%. A total of 877,582 voters in the district are eligible to exercise their franchise at this year’s election.
The SJB-UNP split has seen all MPs in the district contesting from the SJB this time. The rift has given the SLPP a major boost. It believes it can win even more seats here than it did at the last election.
The SLPP-SLFP alliance’s campaign, however, is hit by internal tensions. Supporters of one SLFP candidate were reportedly denied entry to an SLPP campaign rally in Embilipitiya this week because they wore t-shirts emblazoned with the name and preference number of another candidate. An issue arose as none of the SLPP supporters had such t-shirts on. The candidate was himself initially denied passage through the VIP entrance. The matter was later resolved, with supporters allowed into the rally grounds after taking off the contentious t-shirts which they had sported over their regular clothes. The candidate, too, was granted a VIP entry.
Meanwhile, in Balangoda, there is interest among voters to send an area politician to Parliament as no one from the electorate has entered the legislature in 26 years.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) believes a significant number of voters are disillusioned with the current political setup and will cast their votes for it.
Near Embilipitiya, we met NPP candidate Ariyadasa Panawala, a retired Assistant School Principal who was out in the field, canvassing. It was his first time in active politics.
“I was part of a local professionals’ organisation and chose to contest from this front as I believe those who ruled this country up to now are responsible for its current dismal state,” he declared. “We are confident of bringing about meaningful change for the benefit of the people.”
Illegal mining and the resultant environmental destruction continue to be major issues voters. Parts of the district face severe water shortage in the dry season, allegedly due to the high number of mini hydropower plants there. The region is also known for its rubber plantations and falling prices are a concern.
Kegalle District
There is a close tussle between the SJB and the SLPP. An overwhelming number of local councilors have deserted the UNP for the SJB. The only exception is the Rambukkana Pradeshiya Sabha, where all the UNP councilors, bar one, continue to be with the UNP.
While pocket meetings by the main political parties generally adhered to health and social distancing guidelines, preventive measures are non-existent in major rallies attended by key party leaders. They were mostly ignored when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa attended campaign rallies here during the past two weeks.
While no major violations were reported in the district, election officials have stopped several vehicles pasted with illegal election propaganda and removed them. Only a vehicle conveying a candidate is allowed such propaganda under election law.
While confident of the SJB’s victory, the party’s district leader, former minister and UNP chairman Kabir Hashim, said he had “no doubt that the party would unite again” after the election. “Certain devious characters within the UNP want to make this break permanent,” he warned. “We must not fall into their trap.”
SLPP district leader and former MP Kanaka Herath, meanwhile, was confident the party will get even more votes than President Rajapaksa polled at the November election.
“Based on the votes at the presidential election, the SLPP would have obtained six Parliamentary seats,” he said. “We are confident we will get enough on August 5 to win seven seats.”
Badulla District
The polls campaign in the Badulla district is proceeding peacefully, with no major incidents reported so far. The crucial voting blocks are made up of farmers, the tea estate community and Government employees. Contesting for the district’s 668,166 votes are 12 political parties and 12 independent groups are.
While there has been no violence, there are internal conflicts among some of the major parties over preference votes.
Candidates here have also adopted various strategies to ensure their victory. Two SJB candidates, Aravinda Kumar and Vadivel Suresh, are conducting a joint campaign among the estate community. Both are former MPs who represented the UNF in the last Parliament. They represent two powerful trade unions in the estate sector. Their propaganda posters and banners have images of both candidates side by side along with their preference numbers.
“We want to ensure the Tamil representation in Parliament,” Mr Kumar said, when asked why he and Mr Suresh were running a joint campaign. Speaking to us at his office in Badulla town, he insisted their decision to throw their weight behind Mr Premadasa and the SJB would not erode their vote base (which was essentially UNP) as the voters followed the politician and their policies rather than those of a particular party.
While many candidates are distributing propaganda leaflets listing what they have done for their respective communities, Mr Kumar has published what he called a mini newspaper of his contributions over the years as a provincial councilor and MP.
Former Uva Province Chief Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, contesting from the SLPP, believes that the SJB-UNP split has done irrevocable damage to the chances of both parties. This will ensure a sweeping victory for the SLPP.
“Every day, we have former UNP activists who are disillusioned with both factions coming over to join us,” he said, adding that he believed a large number of Tamil and Muslim voters, who leaned more towards the UNP, would also vote for the SLPP this time.
Given the SLPP’s attacks on the SLFP and attempts to undermine candidates from that party, there is a possibility some of those elected on the SLFP ticket could support the SJB to form a Government, claimed SJB Badulla district candidate Maithri Gunaratne, a former Governor of the Uva province.
In Badulla, we were granted an interview with former Minister and the SJB’s Badulla district leader Ravindra Samaraweera. We arrived on time but found that the minister had left home.
“A pradeshiya sabha member came and asked him to attend a funeral where final rites were about to be performed,” said an apologetic aide. “He couldn’t refuse. After-all, we are in the midst of an election campaign and his absence will be noticeable if he doesn’t go.”
Mr Samaraweera later said by telephone that the SJB’s chances had markedly improved as the election kept being pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It showed how inept the Government is and has resulted in its popularity rapidly deteriorating,” he said. “This is actually why the Government is determined to go ahead with the election on August 5 whatever happens. They know the further it gets postponed, the more votes they’ll lose.”
The UNP’s popularity was at such a low ebb that it would not win even one seat, Mr Samaraweera said. Interestingly, the UNP’s Badulla district leader Upali Samaraweera — who is Ravindra’s cousin — scoffed at his relative’s prediction.
“The SJB held several meetings in my electorate of Welimada under Sajith Premadasa’s patronage,” he claimed. “Crowds were far less than they expected. Those who went with them are now coming back to us. The results will show that the heart of the party is still with the UNP.”
Nuwara Eliya District
Campaigning is proceeding at a feverish pace in the Nuwara Eliya district, where 275 candidates from 12 political parties and 13 independent groups are in the fray.
The Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya electorate, which has 330,761 eligible voters, is the largest electorate in the country. Victory here is often a stepping stone for any political party when securing a national election victory.
While the district is traditionally UNP-leaning, the split within the party means the SLPP has a real chance of scoring an upset victory. The elevation of Jeewan Thondaman as Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) candidate in place of his late father has also helped ensure voters will vote for him out of sympathy and the respect they still had for party founder, Saumyamoorthy Thondaman. Jeewan is also popular among younger voters, who want to see fresh faces represent them.
Meanwhile, Muttiah Prabagaran, brother of retired cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, is also conducting a strong campaign for the SLPP. He held a rally near Gregory Lake in Nuwara Eliya on Tuesday (21) that was attended by both his brother Murali and President Rajapaksa.
The main issue he hopes to focus on in Parliament is increasing the income of families in the district as well as improving education facilities for students, Mr Prabagaran told the Sunday Times.
Barring a clash among rival supporters in Talawakale, campaigning has been peaceful. Posters and other illegal election propaganda are nearly non-existent in Nuwara Eliya town earning praise from the public who want to preserve its celebrated beauty.
Candidates, however, complain that strict enforcement of election laws made it difficult for them to publicise their preference numbers among voters.
Nuwara Eliya is also one of three districts that the SLFP is contesting separately under the ‘hand’ symbol. Party Chairman, former President Maithripala Sirisena, and General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara both contesting under the SLPP have complicated matters for SLFP candidates in the district.
At a meeting with the District Returning Officer in Nuwara Eliya this week, the candidates complained they don’t receive official communications issued by the Election Commission as these are addressed to the party General Secretary in Colombo. That office did not have enough interest to forward the letters to them.
The District Returning Officer noted that the number of counting centres was increased for this election. The final district election result is expected by 6.00pm on August 6.
Kandy District
The district is a prize catch for the main parties at the election, where 1,129,100 voters are eligible to cast their ballots. Here, too, the split in the UNP has convinced the SLPP it has an excellent chance of seizing a traditionally UNP-leaning district.
The SLPP’s upbeat attitude was evident in our interview with former State Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, whom we met at his Kandy residence which served as a campaign office. It was bustling with activity, with dozens of party activists and supporters moving to and fro. Hand-washing facilities were installed downstairs and temperatures were checked. Many people inside and outside, however, did not have masks and there was no social distancing.
The electoral swing was definitely towards the ‘pohottuwa’, Mr Rambukwella insisted. He claimed victory was so assured they did not even think about the opposition. “You think about a group if they are a challenge to you,” he said. But when you know they are ignored by the public, why should we bother about them?”
Former Minister and SJB Kandy District Leader Lakshman Kiriella said that “without exaggeration, 99 percent’ of the party faithful were with them.
There is, however, concern that some voters, especially in the district’s estate sector, will be confused as both the SJB’s telephone symbol and the UNP’s more familiar elephant symbol are on the ballot, he acknowledged.
“We have spoken about this with our leaders in the estate sector,” he said. “The hearts of the voters are with the telephone, but we will be conducting a vigorous awareness campaign over the next few days aimed at making voters familiar with our new symbol.”
With most familiar UNP faces joining up with the SJB, the former is looking to elevate new politicians and veterans who have worked at the grassroots level as candidates. Sarath Dambawinna, contesting for the UNP in the Kandy district, was the youngest provincial councillor elected at the first provincial council election in 1988. After spending more than a decade in that role, he had not contested any election for more than 20 years before accepting an invitation this time.
“We have seen such splits in the UNP before,” Mr Dambawinna said, adding that they have made much progress winning disgruntled elements back to the party since nominations are handed over. He was hopeful voters would choose for new faces with clean records, rather than the same old guard.
Canvassing in the midst of COVID-19 has created issues for individual candidates, said Shanthini Kongahage. “People have turned canvassing into a business,” she lamented. “We have to pay Rs 1,500 a day, excluding meals, for those going on canvassing. Financially, this has become quite difficult — so much so that we have now taken to posting leaflets to people’s homes since that’s much cheaper.”
The JVP-led National People’s Power (NPP) hopes enough voters are disgusted by the scandals surrounding politicians from the main parties to turn their way.
“I have seen how some people in one of the main political parties say they have horses, donkeys and dogs as candidates,” said NPP candidate and former MP Lal Kantha. “That is an uncalled-for statement but reflects the reality of who is actually on their candidate lists.” His party had had no such concerns as their candidates were educated professionals with principles who will work for the people’s betterment.
Additional Reporting by Shane Seneviratne (Kandy), Pradeep Bandara (Kegalle), Shelton Hettiarachchi (Nuwara Eliya), Palitha Ariyawansa (Badulla), Ajith Lal (Ratnapura) and S. Weerawansa (Balangoda)
Chamara Sampath Dassanayake – SLPP Badulla District Candidate
As the former Chief Minister of the Uva Province, I have worked hard to uplift the living standards of all communities. I have worked with both the Muslim community and the estate Tamil community. I believe we will get a majority of their votes, too.
People are abandoning both the UNP and SJB. Yes, there is some tension between SLPP and SLFP candidates over preference votes. People say various things on campaign stages, but that is not something to be concerned about.
Lakshman Kiriella – SJB Kandy District Candidate
The UNP Working Committee accepted the formation of the alliance. It was the UNP Working Committee presided by Ranil Wickremesinghe that made Sajith Premadasa the leader of that alliance. He was the prime ministerial candidate and head of the nomination board.
After taking all these steps, two or three weeks before nominations, they tried to turn the clock back by putting forward impossible proposals which were against the discussions that had taken place thus far. They used the issue of the party symbol as an excuse to turn the clock back.
I summoned all our activists, about 400 people to one place and I asked them what to do. And without exception, they all stated if we don’t support Sajith, we couldn’t go to the villages.
I think the government will have difficulty mustering even the 113 seats required to form a government. The two-thirds scenario is definitely out. They did not get that even after the war victory. The next two weeks will be crucial. Mr Premadasa’s election manifesto released a few days ago offers a relief package to the poorest sections of society. That might be a deciding factor.
Muthiah Prabagaran – Nuwara Eliya District SLPP Candidate
Even with the pandemic-related restrictions, I’m happy with the way our campaign is going. The main issue for people in the district is the low income of families. There are no factories or other industries here, and very little in terms of self-employment opportunities.
Education opportunities are also severely curtailed. It’s extremely difficult for students here to become a doctor or engineer since schools don’t have facilities to teach these subjects.
As a parliamentarian, I will address these two main issues.
Maithri Gunaratne – Badulla District SJB candidate
All these election laws are being applied to us. They don’t seem to apply to the ruling party. Their candidates are not adhering to health guidelines. They are using Samurdhi workers for their campaigns.
The President said we now have ‘one country, one law,’ but it’s clear we have two laws — one for the government and another for the opposition. That is why we need to win this election. The period ahead will be dark indeed if we were to lose.
We began our election campaign in late February. The delay in holding the elections has been to our advantage as people are disillusioned with the government.
I’m of the view that we should have a dialogue with Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe and others in the UNP when the election is over and make them see sense. We are all UNPes in the end. But, I do believe that the people will teach Mr Wickremesinghe and his associates a lesson they’ll never forget at this election.
Ariyadasa Panawala – NPP Ratnapura District Candidate
I am a retiree and have never been in active politics. But, I chose to contest this time as I do not like the direction this country is going. Our purpose is to build a just society where all are truly equal before the law. While candidates of other parties are fighting among themselves for preference votes, all our 14 candidates in the district are campaigning together. We are distributing one leaflet for all our candidates.
Aravinda Kumar – SJB Badulla District Candidate
I represent a backward community that has been suppressed and partially treated.
The plantation community was the one and only community who continued working for their daily earnings during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Given how they worked during the pandemic, the government should have started distributing the Rs 5000 relief package with the plantation workers, but this was delayed and there was also a lot of discriminination when giving out this package.
Lal Kantha – NPP Kandy District Candidate
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa campaigns around the country blatantly ignoring COVID-19 guidelines. They maintain the one-metre distance but keep the people at one-centimetre distance. COVID-19 regulations have been designed to keep the government members safe while risking the lives of the people. They have become a joke.
A section of the UNP supporters disgusted by this split will stay away from the polls. The other section, we believe, will vote for our compass symbol.
In the Kandy district, we aim to prioritise the upliftment of small and medium industries and work on minimising the air pollution problem in Kandy town.
Shanthini Kongahage – UNP Kandy District Candidate
We see how the government is blatantly ignoring health guidelines when doing their campaign. The laws apply only to us. We have even stopped opening party offices as there is no point in doing it when they prohibit us from displaying our preference numbers there.
It is true that the UNP supporters today are in a dilemma. Senior party supporters are so disgusted that they may not vote. Sajith Premadasa did what he did for personal gain. This is the result of personal issues getting in the way of party politics. We are also appealing to the senior party supporters not to stay away and to cast their ballots.
Kabir Hashim – SJB Kegalle District Candidate
We are the real UNP. Almost 95% of the party including the party seniors are with the SJB. Even the UNP old guard is with us. This is not a breakaway. People identify us as the UNP, except for a minute faction.
Many believe that this was the best step for the UNP. Our ultimate aim is to unite and I have no doubt that we will do so after the election.
As for issues in the district, the cost of living has risen to unbearable levels. The prices of minor export crops have declined. The small and medium industries have been hit hard. The assistance promised by the Government after the COVID-19 pandemic has not come.
Sarath Dambawinna – UNP Kandy District Candidate
We have an entirely new group of people contesting for this election from the UNP. All of them have clean records and are keen to work for the uplift of the people in the district.
To be quite honest, the climb was much uphill for us at the beginning, but as the campaign moved on, we see supporters who drifted away coming back into the fold. This has always been the case with the UNP. Factions have broken away, but they don’t last and people always come back.
Kanaka Herath – SLPP Kegalle District Candidate
We have a five-year plan for the development of the Kegalle district. Our aim is to develop infrastructure facilities and uplift the region’s economy and thereby reduce poverty.
UNP supporters are joining us with their entire families. The disillusionment is such that we believe we will win a record number of seats here.
Upali Samaraweera – Badulla District UNP Candidate
The SJB held several meetings in my Welimada electorate, but even with Sajith Premadasa attending, the turnout was low from what I’ve been told. People are turning away from the SJB mainly because they see that Mr Premadasa doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
He came to the hill country and claimed that he will turn estate workers into estate owners. That is already a running joke among the people here. The people have no faith in any of the SJB candidates here and I’m confident they will vote for the real UNPers.
Keheliya Rambukwella – Kandy District SLPP Candidate
When people now come and tell me they are from the UNP and want to join us, I ask them which UNP they belong to. The party has fallen to such a sad state that people don’t even know who their candidate is. I feel sorry since it’s a party of quality and stature. This is not good as I would honestly like to have a strong opposition.
There are hardly any posters. A lot of decency seems to have set in amongst the campaigns.