Election Manifestoes: Mere election promises will not suffice at this presidential poll

• Heightened pressure on candidates to declare time-bound action plans on implementation
• PAFFREL lobbies for action on implementation and details on financing it, and final impact on society 
• Every candidate is entitled to have his or her own  policies, but the practical aspect of their implementation should be  presented

By Kelum Bandara 

Ahead of the launch of their manifestos and theme songs,  key presidential candidates are likely to face pressure from lobby  groups to outline specific, time-bound action plans for implementation,  rather than relying on broadly worded, catchy ideas.  

National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura  Kumara Dissanayake will unveil his manifesto on August 26 and Samagi  Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa next Friday.   

President Ranil Wickremesinghe who is contesting the  elections as an independent candidate will also release his manifesto  soon.  In the past, manifestos were issued by each presidential  candidate, but there was always a wide gulf between promises and  accomplishments on the ground. It happened because what was promised  and highlighted in the manifestos did not correspond with ground  realities. They just made promises purely for the attraction of  unsuspecting voters. Or else, the circumstances changed halfway  through their terms making their policies impossible to be put into  practice.  

However, Sri Lanka is now at a crossroads trying to  emerge from the abyss of economic crisis which is the worst ever since  Independence. The country is not in a position to afford nonsensical  political approaches anymore. 

This time, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections  (PAFFREL), a leading election monitoring watch which is also engaged in  lobbying for clean politics, has initiated action to prevail upon the  respective candidates in the fray to outline their policies with  specificity on implementation. It demands an action plan along with  manifestos.   

Every candidate is entitled to have his or her own  policies, but the practical aspect of their implementation should be  presented to people to make informed decisions rather than getting  carried away by catchy wordings of ideas far removed from practical  realities.   

Asked for a comment, PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana  Hettiarachchi said his organisation would urge the contestants to  present time-bound action plans for the implementation of their policies  envisaged in their manifestos.   

“They should outline how financial allocations are made to  implement each policy matter. People should be presented with the idea  of social, economic impact of such policies. For example, if any  candidate promises to build 1,000 schools, he should outline how it can  be financed through an annual budget. People should be informed of the  project’s impact on society. The mere construction of buildings alone  will not serve the purpose,” he said.