Presidential Elections and negotiating what isn’t authentic

A long list of candidates will double the work of officials at the Election Commission and pose obstacles in the way of conducting a free and fair election (File photo)

Sri Lanka feels the need for a Presidential Election much stronger than ever before. This is because, from the perception of the outside world, this could be Sri Lanka’s last chance to escape from a debt-ridden situation and offer a ray of hope to both the youth, who have never voted before, and the children, who are still teenagers and attending school. From a Sri Lankan point of view, we still see the slave-like mentality of adults, who wish to trade their vote for favours from politicians. Much of the crowds at the recent political rallies showed that the crowds weren’t authentic.

We can remember the days when former President Ranasinghe Premadasa was obsessed with crowds. His son Sajith, a candidate at the upcoming Presidential Elections, drew massive crowds at a recent rally organised for him at Mahiyanganaya. People in this country tend to talk about the potential that election candidates have to attract crowds rather than what they can do given they emerge the victor. Sajith has a clean sheet in politics and has worked hard at the grassroots level; hence, political analysts have dubbed him as the dark horse at this election. 
The race for presidency seems to be a close one with incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the ambitious Anura Kumara Dissanayake running their elections campaigns with much gusto. Both have had enough opportunities to convince the public at large about their capabilities as ‘bidding presidents’. The only thing missing is the printed versions of their election manifestos. 
As many as 40 candidates saw deposits being made in their names by representatives of their parties or alliances. The next stage set in the run-up to the elections is the confirming of the candidates to facilitate drawing up of the final list before the ballot papers go into print. The confirmation process of the candidates’ names is set to take place today (Thursday). 
Unlike during the past three Presidential Elections, this time around, the battle for presidency is three-pronged. Unless people know the subtle perceptions or workings in politics, they might see individuals (election candidates) with tiny personalities being enlarged through propaganda work to look like giants. This happened at the last Presidential Elections– conducted by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka– which was won by Gotabaya Rajapaksa. How shallow this person’s thinking runs was exposed in no uncertain terms when people started to work with him after a regime was formed. 

There is much concern regarding the large number of presidential candidates, for whom monies have been deposited. Critics have pointed out that some of them could be proxies who have been drawn into the race for presidency to support other former MPs who are contesting this election. A long ballot paper with the names of as many as four dozen candidates makes the job of the Election Commission that much challenging. Just for the record, this election is held with the tax payers’ monies. Hence, there must be a mechanism to unearth the capability of candidates to garner a reasonable amount of votes before they get the green light to contest. 
The incumbent president is promoting his ideologies of enhancing business in the country and opening up avenues to strengthen tourism; a great source which, if tapped more efficiently, can bring in Dollars to the country. However, despite the bright vision he has for the country, we still see no attempt being made by the incumbent to eradicate corruption and questionable practices. Only the other day, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) raised concerns over complaints made against Wickremesinghe’s election campaign where there are accusations that state resources are being used. When state resources are used, it doesn’t help create a level playing field for all election candidates. TISL has also shown concern regarding Wickremesinghe confirming the Rs 1,700 daily wage for estate workers through a gazette notification. TISL affirms that the move by Wickremesinghe amounts to misuse of public resources. 
Adding to election woes, the Election Commission has received over 300 complaints of election related violence since the date for the poll was declared. 
Apart from that, it is a little concerning to see the old hands in politics– with questionable track records–throwing their weight behind some of the election candidates. What is alarming is that there is a MP with a track record of being convicted and sentenced to death (later acquitted and released by the court) backing one of the youngest candidates at the upcoming elections. Interestingly, this youthful candidate sees another candidate in the fray bearing the same name as he. A tinge of confusion added to the equation will surely benefit those candidates who use proxies to fatten their chances. 
The upcoming Presidential Election is held at a time when people are with their backs to the wall where finances are concerned. This is a time when the franchise to vote must be used to eradicate the corrupt lawmakers and their questionable systems that are in place. We mustn’t be carried away by promises for economic growth when what Sri Lanka now needs is a fresh start with a set of lawmakers who are absolutely ‘clean’. If a lawmaker says he can be trusted, then we must ask him to declare the people funding his campaign and the big names supporting his cause. 
There was a classic post on Facebook recently. The post said that unsuspecting people fall for the trap when politicians donate them five kilos of rice, because though this quantity of rice lasts for about five days these lawmakers think that they have made a worthwhile investment to garner their votes for the next five years. If only we can read the minds of these lawmakers!