CANDIDATES FACE THE COURT OF THE PEOPLE

The campaigning or canvassing has ended, the trumpets have sounded and the candidates seeking election to the august assembly of parliament at the general election today, stand at judgment before the sovereign court of the people. More than in any previous election the people have been given a generally free and balanced picture of who the candidates are and what their party manifestos promise.

So the decision to be taken by the court of the people today needs to be taken after carefully assessing each party’s promises, policies and principles. It is of equal importance that the sovereign people carefully reflect on the character and qualities of the candidates, their commitment to the virtues of honesty and integrity, accountability and transparency and their sincerity in pledging to work selflessly and sacrificially for the common good of the people and generations to come.

At a historic moment like this, we again remember the inspired statement made by one of Sri Lanka’s most respected politicians in recent decades, former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Giving up a lucrative law practice to accept an invitation to be a parliamentarian and the foreign minister in November 1994, Mr. Kadirgamar said, “I have seen in party politics a tragic situation where many politicians come forward to plunder and pillage the resources of our country. My beloved paradise island has given me much—free education, free healthcare and much more. My country has given me much. Now it is my turn to give back to Sri Lanka,what she generously and graciously gave to me.

We hope this enlightened outlook will guide our people when they vote today and help them to rise beyond party traditions or the desire for personal gain in electing MPs who will form the supreme legislative and policy-making body of Sri Lanka. We hope the selfless and sacrificial outlook of ministers like Lakshman Kadirgamar will also help in the revival of a clean parliament in the aftermath of the tragedy of recent years where the legislative assembly was virtually turned into a den of robbers.

As we make history today, the Daily Mirror joins the nation in thanking Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya and his staff for strictly implementing election laws without fear or favour from the day the campaign started on July 13. He and his staff have toiled hard through the night to reach the top and raise the bar for a free and fair election. The Police also have acted with more independence and courage than at previous elections and have taken strict action against those found to have violated elections laws or indulged in election violence, whatever the party they support. Over the weekend the Commissioner held discussions with Police Chief N. K. Ilangakone to deploy additional police, including Special Task Force personnel, for extra security in six districts. These are the six districts which election monitoring groups have said were high risk areas, Mannar, Vavuniya, Puttalam, Kandy, Kalutara and Anuradhapura, and Kantankudy and Valaichchenai in the Batticaloa district and Sainthamaruthu in the Ampara district. The Commissioner said he had discussed the matter with the Police Chief who agreed to provide extra police security, including STF personnel in the high-risk areas.

The Commissioner warned he had given orders that if any attempt was made to disrupt the voting in a polling booth today, the Police should use maximum force to control the situation. He said he had directed that alleged offenders should not be given police bail. Two police personnel have been deployed in each of the 12,399 booths while 5,700 police personnel will be on mobile patrol duty. More than 1,300 police personnel will be in the riot squad, ready for any emergency. There will be more than 60 police personnel guarding each of the 67 counting centres in the country in addition to STF personnel in the vicinity.

While the elections commission staff including hundreds of officers in polling booths and counting centres, the police and other security personnel uphold the rule of law today, there will be at least 30,000 local monitors and around 200 world election monitors.

So the stage is set for a free and fair vote by the people of Sri Lanka. Now is the hour and this is the moment. We hope this will be one of Sri Lanka’s finest hours and the people will vote wisely for the common good of the country and the wellbeing of the next generation.

We hope this enlightened outlook will guide our people when they vote today and help them to rise beyond party tradition or the desire for personal gain in electing MPs who will form the supreme legislative and policy-making body of Sri Lanka.