PAFFREL Urges postpone the Local
Government Elections
Which is scheduled to be held in
March 2006
PAFFREL has urged the President of
Sri Lanka to postpone the Local
Government Election which is
schedule to be held in March 2006.
PAFFREL believes that there are
several steps to be taken before
calling such an election. A copy
of the letter that we wrote to the
President has been forwarded to
all political parties, Media and
the Commissioner of Elections.
Below is the letter that we sent
to the President of the Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
urging to postpone the up coming
local government election.
23rd December 2005
His Excellency
Mahinda
Rajapakse
President of the Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Your
Excellency,
I write to bring to the notice of
Your Excellency that several
issues vital to the conduct of the
elections due to be held to the
local government institutions of
the country before 15th
April 2006 have come to our
attention. As a people's
organization dedicated to ensure
free, fair and democratic
elections, while we feel that it
is incumbent on our part to place
these matters before you, we are
also emboldened to do so in the
knowledge that they would get due
consideration owing to Your
Excellency’s high regard for
democratic ideals.
The first of these issues, we
would submit, is the question that
has recently been fairly widely
discussed with regard to a
considerable number of citizens
not having their names in the
Electoral Registers that were
compiled by the Commissioner of
Elections for the year 2004. The
allegation that has been made is
that these citizens found, at the
last moment, that they would not
be able to vote at the last
Presidential election as they had
not been registered as electors.
Whatever the reason that may have
been stated for this situation,
the electors themselves could, no
doubt, have rectified this state
of affairs if they had been
vigilant enough, as the procedures
currently obtaining make
sufficient provision to do so.
Yet, as this issue has received
the attention of the public and as
there have been various
imputations that suggested
interference with the
inclusivity
aspect of elections, providing an
opportunity for the citizens in
question to include themselves in
the Electoral Registers of 2005
and then participate in the local
government elections, we feel,
would be desirable.
The second issue relates to the
position in the North and the
East. Nominations for the local
government institutions in these
areas were received in 2002.
However, in view of the prevailing
security situation elections have
been postponed from time to time
up to now. It is essential to note
that during this period of time,
as many as 20 of the candidates
who gave nominations have passed
away.
A further 19 candidates have
changed their political parties.
This, it has to be admitted, has
transformed the entire picture and
any election conducted on the
nominations already received would
be meaningless. The only
alternative that exists, it
appears, is to annul the
nominations and call for fresh
ones. This requires Parliamentary
action which needs time.
The third aspect we wish to place
before Your Excellency concerns a
statement that has recently been
made by the Hon. Minister of Local
Government and Provincial
Councils. The Hon. Minister had
stated that the forthcoming local
government elections would be
based on a system that combines
proportional representation and
the first-past-the post system.
Even if the necessary legislation
to enable the adoption of the
proposed system is rushed through
the Parliament, its implementation
will entail a large amount of
preparatory work for the
Department of Elections. The
Department, therefore, will have
to be allowed the necessary time
to attend to the necessary
activities.
We are of the view that it would
be possible to take meaningful
action to resolve the above issues
if the local government elections
are postponed for a further period
of about six months and if
necessary action is initiated now.
This, we feel, would enhance the
democratic nature of the elections
and also enhance the confidence of
the people in the electoral
system.
We, therefore, urge Your
Excellency to give consideration
to these important aspects and
cause appropriate action to be
taken with regard to them.
With best regards
Yours sincerely
Kingsley Rodrigo
Chairman
