Malpractise watch : it’s ugly out there

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The number of election violations have passed the 850 mark according to election monitoring bodies and the police. Many fear that unlike in the previous provincial council elections, the violence will spill into election day.
Election monitors point out that despite the agreement between the general secretaries of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and United National Party (UNP) to cease violence, even before 24 hours passed SLFP (M) National Organizer and Gen. Secretary, Tiran Alles’s house in Nawala was attacked. Also a convoy of Sarath Fonseka’s vehicles were attacked in Matara.
The Network for Election Monitoring claimed that as the election draws near not only the frequency but also the seriousness of the offenses have increased. “868 incidents of election violence have been reported to Network for Election Monitoring,” said it’s Secretary for Civil and Political Rights, Anura Karunarathne. “Although in the beginning the gravity of the violence was low, mostly we were informed about breaking election offices and other minor offences. But now it has taken a more systematic and bloody turn with more focused attack on individuals and private property,” he added.
But Campaign for Free and Fair Election’s Keerthi Tennakoon believes that despite the massive number of election law violations election day will be relatively peaceful because of the tough action announced by the elections commissioner. “The commissioner stated that he will annul the ballot of any polling centre if election malpractices are reported. So I think this message has been heard by the political parties and I know that this has upset a lot of plans to rig the vote,” he said. “The commissioner announced that he has ordered the presiding officers of the respective polling booths to take the temporary ID card after the holders exercised their franchise. And that has spoiled a lot of plans.”

Temporary IDs: no longer a method to rig

The elections commissioner has decided to take serious action about the malpractices relating to temporary ID cards. Legal action will be taken not only against the person who tries to use it wrongfully but also against the grama sevaka and the divisional secretary who issued the ID card as well.
“All the identity cards issued and the serial numbers of the ballot papers will be sent to the returning officers. The temporary ID will be taken from the voter before the ballot paper is given to him. So, if someone has cheated we will know and disciplinary action will be taken against the grama niladari and the divisional secretary who issued the ID,” said a department source. “This news itself has caused around 50,000 ID cards to be withdrawn all of a sudden, in Moneragala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Kandy, and specially in Nawalapitiya and Hambanthota. So I think the planned massive scale election rigging using temporary ID cards has been foiled.”
In Jaffna around 70% of the polling cards were distributed. The commissioner has decided to display a set of names of the voters registered and a separate list for people who have been issued with temporary ID cards. The officers will collect the temporary IDs as in other parts of the country and send them to the counting centres. “So if something looks suspicious we can apprehend the officials who issued the card and they will have to face disciplinary action,” an elections department source said.

Foreign observers redundant?

46 foreign observers arrived on invitation by the commissioner last week, 40 from the Asian Monitoring Network and 6 from the commonwealth. The monitors from the Asian Monitoring Network will monitor what happens inside the polling booths - the technical and administrative aspects. But many local election observers have expressed their displeasure about confining themselves inside polling booths.
“We told them that this might not be adequate because in Sri Lanka what happens outside the polling booth is very important and influences the outcome.
We asked the commissioner of elections to get them down here at least two weeks before the elections so that they can meet the people, politicians, election monitoring bodies and journalists and get an understanding of the situation. But as it is now they go into monitoring without any clue. They can be manipulated by the corrupt elements and these guys monitored the Eastern PC election and reported that it was a free and fair election. So at the end their report means nothing but their presence on the ground deters any election law violations,” said Anura Karunarathne. .
Meanwhile CAFFE spokesman Keerthi Tennakoon said that there is no need to monitor the technical and administrative aspects of the elections since we have been conducting elections for over 50 years and our technical know how is excellent.
“The real issues that will impact the elections will happen outside the polling booth. But we believe more in the commonwealth observers who will look at the structural violence which is considered the most important by the local monitors. The report they issued in 2005 was superb and I think they will do a good job this time as well,” he said.

Don’t let the impersonators get away

Voters should not allow those who engage in election malpractices get away and should use the opportunities available to take action against such offenders the CAFFE spokesman said.
“If your vote has been used by someone else please tell the presiding officer and s/he will issue a blue coloured ballot paper. Although it won’t count the authorities can identify the impersonation and everyone will know the extent of the malpractices,” he said. “The elections commissioner has nothing to loose, he has issued several tough circulars and also he is yet to reveal some other mechanisms just before the elections. So I think that no one will be able to carry out massive scale vote rigging.”