POLL 2010: Presidency

What is the role of the competent authority

‘Class monitor’ can’t do anything about errant media?

By Rathindra Kuruwita

After weeks of pleading by opposition political parties and election monitoring bodies the Elections Commissioner has at last appointed Jayampathi Hettiarachchi as the competent authority to monitor the government media in the run-up to the Presidential elections. The plan is to ensure free and fair coverage by state media institutions, UNP MP Tissa Attanayake said after meeting with the Commissioner on December 29th.
Although this step has been heralded by many as the best thing that has happened so far. Almost five days after his appointment nothing seems to have changed. One might say that the state media is reacting to the appointment just like the way it responded to the 21 media guidelines introduced on December 17th.

Mass scale misuse

“Everyone knows that there is mass scale misuse of state media. Their behaviour on nomination day was unacceptable. As a result many political parties, election monitors and civil society organizers have pressurized the Elections Commissioner to appoint a competent authority in the last few weeks,” said a department source. “In a discussion with political parties last week the commissioner was continuously pressurized to appoint a competent authority and the Elections Commissioner claimed that he would appoint Jayampathi Hettiarachchi, a civil servant who acted as the District Secretary of Kalutara and Colombo. UNP general Secretary Tissa Attanayake announced the appointment to the media. However, until now the Department of Elections has not made an official declaration. So Jayampathi Hettiarachchi is there but so far nothing seems to have been done. Some might even think that he is happy the way the state media is operating,” he added.
The fact that until now there is no clear definition of what he is expected to do has left everyone wondering what they are to do with him. Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) spokesman Keerthi Tennakoon said that they are as clueless as the rest of the country when it comes to the role of Hettiarachchi.
“The competent authority has the power to dictate and direct the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC.) But it doesn’t seem to me that he has done anything so far,” he said. “But no one knows what to expect from Hettiarachchi because what he has to do has not been clearly defined . Is he to submit a report and then take the necessary measures ? And if he is doing that when will he prepare the report? No one knows,” he added.
Meanwhile, the man who announced the ‘good news’ Tissa Attanayake told LAKBIMAnEWS that he only pronounced what the commissioner stated. “We all know that a respected civil servant has been appointed and I think we should give him a little more time,” he said.

Ports Authority

The misuse of state property is at an all time high.People and property belonging to the Health ministry, the CPC, and Vocational Training institutes have been taken for various election propaganda work. Trade unionists of these organizations have already notified the elections commissioner about the matter.
Sources from the Ports Authority claim that due to the expenses borne by the Authority in the previous provincial council and the present election, the Ports Authority has suffered huge financial problems. “I think we were one of the biggest spenders of the UPFA election campaign in the last few years and because of the expenses incurredwe are in a huge financial crisis and have virtually no reserves,” said a Ports Authority source.
Over 90 vehicles that belong to various government institutions are engaged in propaganda work said UNP provincial Councillor Rohana Gamage. “Vehicles from the Road Development Authority, Urban Development Authority, Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and Health Ministry are used for election campaigning in Anuradhapura,” he said. “Last week one of their illegal constructions collapsed on the main road around mid-day. Luckily no one was hurt but these constructions are becoming a real danger to people,” he said.
The curious case of SSP J. R Jayawardene
Violating all election laws the IGP transferred the SSP in charge of Ampara J.R. Jayewardene to Kilinochchi last Wednesday (December 30) with the approval of the Department of Elections. The official reason for the transfer was that they needed a ‘capable’ officer to handle Kilinochchi.
“We needed someone to handle operations in Kilinochchi. That’s all I can tell,” police media spokesperson I. M Karunaratne said.

Real reason

But the real reason behind the transfer was that some regional politicians had wanted him out of the way because they had wanted the cutouts of the President to be as it was and the SSP has refused stating that he had been ordered to remove all posters and cutouts. “Political parties, election monitoring bodies and professionals in Ampara expressed their displeasure ove the transfer, the elections commissioner asked the IGP to cancel the transfer,” said CaFFE spokesman. “He is a much respected police officer and he has been in Ampara for only three and a half months “.
Although the Elections Commissioner asked the IGP to immediatly cancel the transfer the SSP had not been notified of the cancellation until Saturday morning.
“Some high ranking police officials did not answer their phones and some phones have been switched off from Friday. It seems as if these high ranking officers are acting like children trying to delay transfer orders made by the elections commissioner” a police source said.