Distributing toddy to estate workers a serious breach of election law – Polls monitors

Colombo, August 25 (Daily Mirror) - Distributing bottles of toddy to large groups of estate workers who attended political campaign rallies of two Presidential candidates in the upcountry recently would seriously breach the election law, independent polls monitors said.

Executive Director Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake said that they have received a number of complaints both from the authorities and the estate sector employers that their employees are being given bottles of toddy free of charge during campaign rallies.

The complainants have further stated that the soft alcohol that had been distributed was found to be of inferior quality, which could be a health hazard to the plantation workers. It was also learnt that there was a low turnout of workers reporting to work afterwards.

Gajanayake said distributing alcoholic beverages during an election campaign rally is a serious violation of the election law as well as a breach of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act.

“We are deeply concerned about this situation and state that all law enforcement authorities including the Police and Public Health Inspectors should intervene immediately before another incident takes place,” he said.

IRES Executive Director further said that they have already taken measures to report these incidents to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.