A basic view of the big issues: man, the vote and the country

Just hypocrisy!

By Chamila Jayaweera, Vimarshini Jayaweera and Chandimal Mendis

Reinhold Niebuhr in his book " Children of light and Children of darkness" stated in his foreword, " Man's capacity to justice makes Democracy possible; but man's inclination to injustice makes Democracy necessary."

In the concept of Democracy, the universal franchise is the essence, the right of the common man to exercise his right of electing his representative .

The common people feel that their voting right has no effect in the system of democracy. Reports regarding election violations is heard at every poll, sometimes banally commonplace.

People often talk about the governments that come into power. Blaming election violations on a particular political party does not help.

The daylight robbery of the vote of the common man has been vastly discussed and analysed only in a political sense. Observing an election, the common man wonders " is this democracy or hypocrisy?."

The history of practicing democracy in Sri Lanka dates 2500 years back and has never been a foreign concept or principle. Democracy goes back as far as the arrival of King Vijaya in 543 B.C.

Latter day records of course state that Sri Lanka gained limited franchise in 1911 and subsequently universal franchise since 1931. The election of members of parliament is a practice that has been carried out since the grant of universal franchise

More significantly Sri Lanka has had elected Municipalities for over 135 years. The democratic process of elected government of Legislators and Mayors, is well established and had been operating efficiently. Since 1948 this country has been an independent, democratic one. In 1972, it became a Socialist Republic.

The needs of the ordinary citizen often times goes ignored and unheard. The Sunday Times spoke to a section of the public to gauge their attitude on balloting methods in the country.

Thilak Perera, a 42-year-old three-wheeler driver said he hasn't been to vote for the past three general elections. " To me it's just another day," he said. "I remember my parents used to be excited at the prospect of voting, and so was I when I first turned 18, but now, I saw no point in casting my vote for either party. I do not feel that my vote will carry the people's representative to Parliament when you look at the way democracy is abused."

A medical student, Shehani Ameranayeka, was of the opinion that it made no difference whether she cast her vote or not. "There is no doubt in my mind that each party is going to rig the ballot ," she said. "So why bother?"

To Shehani and Thilak both, and others like them, the spirit of democracy in the country has ceased to exist, specifically at election time. They are in despair about the process. " What democracy are we talking about ?" Shehani asked. "The only democracy I know of is the definition I read in books. What I hear about via the media through the voices of politicians is totally different."

Others expressed their fears about the alternative remedies that this country could face with the loss of democracy.

"It could be a military government or a dictatorship. Either way the voice of normal people like myself will never be heard. My real fear is concerning my two children growing up and living in a system where democracy has ceased to exist." Nalaka Silva, a businessman in Colombo said. "After all isn't the ballot stronger than the bullet?"

The Sunday Times spoke to well-known guidance counsellor, Anne Abeysekera about the social consensus regarding the issue of a free and fair election.

"The trouble today seems to be that no one knows what is going on anymore," she said. "People also seem to wonder rather cynically if it really makes a difference, since no matter what party comes into power today, their election promises are hardly even honoured."

She was of the opinion that it was not only the middle class members of society that shared this view but even the other.

Anne herself is adamant on voting practice. "It would be a pity to cast your vote aside especially if you are a woman, since women had to come by their voting rights harder, even if we as Sri Lankans didn't have as much difficulty as women in the West did," she said. She added that she didn't back down even when citizens were threatened by the JVP in the early nineties to stay at home on election day.

She was also saddened by the state the country is in. "Sri Lanka was held up as a model of democracy in 1956. How far down have we come since then ?" she wondered.

Some of the statistics pertaining to elections held in the past outline the alarming facts that question the existence of a democracy.

The PAFFREL (People's Action for Free and Fair Elections) Report on the 1989 Parliamentary elections held in February has recorded 669 cases of killings during the elections.

In the 1993 Provincial Council elections there had been 550 complaints within a period of three weeks before the balloting began.

The same entity in their report of the Parliamentary elections of 1994 reports 2092 cases of intimidation, 725 cases of minor mischief, 39 cases of major mischief, 1003 cases of simple assault, 47 cases of serious violence and 12 cases of murder.

At the northwestern provincial council elections earlier this year, reports point to 700 complaints and only within one province. In 1982 the Presidential elections 80,470 votes were rejected. In the 1994 Parliamentary elections the number of rejected votes rose to a massive 400,389.

Is it not then evident that people are losing their faith in democracy judging by the vast number of rejected votes at every election?

President of the Ceylon Mercantile Workers Union S. Bala Thampoe who had seen many phases of the democratically process, was of the opinion that elections are merely the platform through which political parties rise to power.

"Whether elections are free, fair and peaceful, or of a violent nature, they all yield the same result," he said. "The politicians are the ones that benefit and gain all sorts of perks while the common man is left out in the cold," he said.

Mr. Thampoe said his Union provides help at least in the way of advice to people who feel that their basic rights have been violated.

"People need to act on their own when they have any issues that need to be settled, since the government is not going to do anything about it," he said.

He added that while the Union itself did not advocate voting, members of the Union were free to do as they pleased and exercise their individual rights.

Dr. Paikiasothi Saravanamuttu, the key figure of CMEV (Center for Monitoring Election Violence) was of the view that in this country at present, democracy does exist to a certain degree. "But a lot is to be done to build the faith in the system of democracy today. During the last two decades, there has been challenges to democracy and the basic mechanism of the choice in a functioning democracy. That process has to be free and fair. But sadly, there is a great sense of cynicism."

He further said that though he cannot speak for the general public, there is a large number of people who are cynical and disillusioned with an existing system they will find ways that lead to authoritarianism and anarchy."

Any type of mockery of the electoral system is not a mere political issue, but is tantamount to a social defect. As the great Abraham Lincoln in his inaugural address as the President on the 4th of March 1861, said,

"This country with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it."

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