Polls observers' concerns

WE hope the note of finality in the voice of EU Election Observation Mission chief John Cushnahan did not escape our political community.

Cushnahan was quoted saying that he would be issuing a very critical report if "serious violations" of the electoral law occurred during the November 17 contest for this country's foremost public position.

Cushnahan emphasized that such a report would follow in the wake of malpractices or incidents which "fundamentally alter the outcome" of the upcoming Presidential election.

What is equally significant is the EU Election Observation Mission chief's sense of frustration over Sri Lanka's seeming inability to implement past EU recommendations on conducting a clean poll.

He went on to warn that future requests for EU observation teams for polls have are "likely to fall on deaf ears" if EU recommendations are left unimplemented.

These are timely exhortations which should not go unheeded. No right-thinking person or group would dismiss out of hand these observations by the EU mission chief because free and fair elections capture some of the essence of the democratic process and contribute very crucially towards its legitimacy.

There is a general consensus among those concerned over the conduct of free and fair polls that the recommendations of observation missions are usually brazenly ignored by our polity. This irresponsible nonchalance of our political establishment is seen as dangerously detrimental to our democratic health.

However, it is also true that non-implementation of these recommendations by Sri Lanka has generally gone unchecked by the world community. This has only aggravated our cavalier attitude towards the reports and recommendations of polls observers and monitors.

The civic conscious public would agree with us that this state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. In the name of democracy and free and fair elections the recommendations of observer missions should be scrupulously implemented by us.

Besides, such missions should be frank and forthright in their observations on the way polls are held here and should not hesitate to take this country to task for election irregularities and abuses.

If this is not done there is absolutely no point in opening our doors to polls observers and monitors. We might as well go the way of "facade democracies" and banana republics.

Accordingly, we welcome the EU Mission chief's warnings and call on him to unflinchingly go ahead with his mandated duties because nobody or nothing should be allowed to besmirch our reputation as a functional democracy.

While it will be in Sri Lanka's interest for polls observers to "call a spade a spade", we call on the local political establishment to faithfully implement the recommendations of polls observes - once again, in the name of democracy and the national interest.

A flawed election would only have the effect of devaluing democracy which in turn would render the State illegitimate. Such a senario would be in no one's interest.

Therefore, EU mission recommendations and all such follow-up measures should be scrupulously implemented by us.

We hope the polls observers and monitors would also have some workable ideas on how a free and fair electoral process could be held in the uncleared areas of the North-East.

They need to work in collaboration with the Lankan Elections Commissioner to ensure that every citizen of the North-East is availed the opportunity of voting.

We also hope the EU observers would report back to their governments on any anti-democratic, destructive behaviour on the part of the LTTE.

At the last general election, some election irregularities were observed in the uncleared areas of the North but the LTTE seems to have escaped uncensured for its misdemeanours.

The EU observers would need to speak to the LTTE on enabling the polls exercise to take hold in the uncleared areas of the North-East. The Tigers too should be taken to task on any anti-democratic conduct which would impinge on the final outcome of the vote.