JVP critisises new election system for L/G bodies
The JVP yesterday criticised the proposed Bill for the introduction of a new election system for local bodies charging that it, if passed in Parliament, would only aggravate the prevailing crisis in electoral politics.
Addressing a press conference, JVP parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the democratic verdict of the people was not properly reflected through the present electoral system and the proposed Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill would not be a solution to the prevailing crisis.
"Today, intimidation and inducements are used to throttle the democratic rights of people in the run up to any election. Therefore, we cannot say that the people's mandate is properly reflected through Parliament or other governing bodies. Instead of addressing the real cause of the problem, the government is now going to enact a new Bill in the House on January 17," he said.
He said that a political party that polls 51 per cent of votes will get a representation of 70 per cent in a local body under the new Bill.
"It does not proportionately reflect the people's mandate. It will be a further distortion of the present system," he said.
Also, he said that though the commission that looked into the youth unrest in 1988/89 proposed an allocation of 35 per cent of slots to youth candidates, the new bill does not contain a clause to give effect to it.
"Today, the SLFP and the UNP provide opportunities in politics for the relatives of their politicians. We have noticed it at every election. The new Bill does not provide a solution to that," he said.
According to the provisions of the new Bill, he said, a ward is to be created covering an area of 25003000 voters, and therefore, there will be at least 6500 wards in the country in terms of the total number of voters.
"According to the bill, a political party is required to make a deposit of Rs.32.5 million to contest an election. For each ward, a deposit of Rs.5000 has to be made. Is this reasonable? Only moneyed persons can contest elections," he said.
Referring to the preferential vote system, he said that all the ills of the present electoral politics are not due to this proportional representation system.