{"id":42543,"date":"2015-08-08T19:57:20","date_gmt":"2015-08-08T23:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42543"},"modified":"2015-08-08T19:59:26","modified_gmt":"2015-08-08T23:59:26","slug":"every-vote-the-jvp-gets-will-help-mahinda-rajapaksa-increase-his-majority-over-the-unp-in-districts-he-lost-in-jan-8-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=42543","title":{"rendered":"Every Vote the JVP gets will help Mahinda Rajapaksa Increase his Majority over the UNP in Districts he lost in Jan 8 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

by<\/p>\n

C.A.Chandraprema<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the parliamentary election campaign enters its last week realisation appears to have dawned on the UNP that every vote cast for the JVP is a yahapalana vote lost to them. Last Thursday, the pro-UNP website Lanka e News carried an article with the title “Vote for the JVP and ensure Rajapaksa\u2019s victory!” The article carried three telling bullet point highlights which went as follows \u2013 The JVP formed an alliance with the chauvinists (Meaning Rajapaksa) once how can we say that they will not do so again? When a new constitution is drafted, the JVP may raise the cry “The country is being divided!” and make common cause with Mahinda. A vote cast for the JVP is a case of ensuring the victory of Rajapaksa! The article goes on to say that there is a conspiracy to divide the anti-Rajapaksa vote so that it benefits both Mahinda Rajapaksa and the JVP.<\/p>\n

The Lanka e News article goes on to state that in the 1980s the JVP opposed even the minimal solution that was given to the Tamil people through the provincial councils system and that even though JVP representatives now sit on the PCs, it is still not possible to get a statement from them to the effect that they accept the provincial councils system. So how is anybody going to persuade them to agree to anything more than the PCs, the article queries. They also point out that in 1971 and 1987-89, the JVP murdered their political opponents with a brutality that paralleled that of the ISIS terrorists in the Middle East and that killing the parents in front of their children was nothing much for the JVP. Quite apart from suppressing the media the JVP was willing to kill even those who sold newspapers. They also accuse the JVP of being anti-Tamil and supporting the war effort.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The article further says that the JVP is a backward force that tried to build wewas (tanks) with mamoties and baskets when backhoes could be used instead and that their programme to rehabilitate 1,000 tanks was a failure and that even though Anura Kumara Dissanayake was the minister of agriculture for about one year he did nothing worthwhile as a minister. The article also says that at one point the JVP controlled the Tissamaharama Pradesheeya Sabha and this was touted as a step towards the future but ultimately the whole project was a flop and the JVP was never able to capture power in any local government institution thereafter. It accuses Vijitha Herath of trying to exploit the TNA\u2019s call for federalism to whip up Sinhala chauvinism to increase their vote bank. They also say that if any devolution proposal is put forward in a new draft constitution the JVP will say that the country is being divided and join up with Mahinda and that the JVP does not actually have much of a policy difference with MR. They also said that every vote cast for the JVP increases the chances of Mahinda coming back into power and that with the votes that the JVP takes away, Mahinda may be able to come out on top in several districts and thereby win a parliamentary majority.<\/p>\n

That the UNP should worry about the number of votes that the JVP may take away from the yahapalana cabal, is incontrovertible. The yahapalana side won seven of the 17 districts outside the north and east and as we have been pointing out in this column, the number of votes taken away by the JVP may make the yahapalana side lose in four of those seven districts with the possibility that this may increase to six districts depending on the popularity of the JVP (leaving out only the Nuwara Eliya district). So the UNP has good cause to be worried. What worries them most is that the yahapalana voters disappointed with the performance of the government may cast their votes for the JVP which espoused the yahapalana cause without however joining the government. This will be a nightmare for the UNP as every vote that goes to the JVP will bring them that much closer to losing even the few districts that the yahapalana collective won at the last presidential elections.<\/p>\n

But the UNP is in a bind because they can\u2019t openly canvass against the JVP who were their yahapalana colleagues at the last election even though pro-UNP websites may take potshots at them. This is the problem in making common cause with minor parties for electoral gain. The UNP formed such an alliance with Mano Ganesan some years ago and by now Ganesan has managed to siphon off votes that would otherwise go to the UNP. After the UNP made common cause with the JVP at the last election, now there is the danger that the same thing may happen to the UNP once again. Last Friday, Sunanda Deshapriya in his weekly missive to local websites took the JVP to task asking them how August 17 differs from January 8th. This article was essentially a lament that the parties that came together to topple the Rajapaksa regime were going their own way in order to preserve their party identities thereby endangering the common cause.<\/p>\n

It is unclear what Sunanda was trying to suggest in this article. Did the parties that came together to topple Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential elections really have any option but to go their separate way at the parliamentary election? The agonies that the yahapalanas are now going through is due to setting aside all political differences in order to gang up to defeat the party wielding power. Now when the parties that came together in that manner are going their separate ways, people complain that this will result in Mahinda Rajapaksa making a comeback. The alternative to that will be for parties like the JVP and the TNA to give up their identities and to tag along behind the UNP. These are unrealistic expectations generated by unprincipled politics. If political parties had been ganging up in this manner to defeat the party in power, we would not have had any ruling party from the time of independence till 1977 and again from 1994 till 2010!<\/p>\n

The JVP is a sword of Damocles hanging by a hair over the head of the UNP. In the first instance, every vote that the JVP gets will help Mahinda Rajapaksa to come out on top in the districts that he lost in January. After the elections are over, the JVP parliamentarians cannot be expected to go along with the UNP in plans they may have for the economy and for changing the state structure.<\/p>\n


\nWhat Mahinda Deshapriya and Sirima Bandaranaike have in common<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya and Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike have something in common in that they both took what they were supposed to do to their absolute limits. Though S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike came into power in 1956, he did not fully implement his policies and did things only in halves. It was Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike who took the so called Bandaranaike policies to their logical conclusion. This created such a backlash to such economic policies that for nearly 40 years, no one has seriously suggested that we revert back to that form of economy. Mahinda Deshapriya is the Mrs Bandaranaike of the electoral scene. One of the reasons why there is little visible activity in terms of an election campaign is because the elections commissioner has been strictly implementing the election laws.<\/p>\n

This is the first time that our election laws have been implemented in all their stupidity. The actual extent of the stupidity of our election laws is still not visible in all its glory because an informal agreement had been arrived at between the party leaders and the elections commissioner to allow certain thing in violation of the election law. This is the only country in the world where the elections commissioner in cahoots with the political parties openly flouts parts of the election law. All politicians are fully aware of the absurdity and impracticality of our elections laws. They begin chafing under the restrictions of the law during election time but the moment the election is over people forget about it until the next election comes around. It is to be hoped that what Mahinda Deshapriya did at this election will motivate the next parliament to change the law – otherwise this will be the last election campaign that we have. If these laws are not changed, in future what we will have is a nomination day and a polling day with no campaigning in between.<\/p>\n

Contrary to all commonsense, our election laws prohibit processions, the putting up of posters the distribution of handbills and even canvassing from house to house after nominations are handed in. The Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 which applies mutatis mutandis to other elections as well lays down the following restrictions:<\/p>\n

Section 69 \u2013 Restriction on processions<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the time nominations open and till one week lapses after the election result is declared, nobody can conduct or take part in processions to promote any candidate. During this period, non-political processions of a religious or social nature may take place, but even at such processions, it is illegal to promote a candidate. Those violating this law are liable to not just a fine but a prison sentence of up to one month!<\/p>\n

Section 74 – Display of handbills & posters<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the commencement of the nomination period until the end of the poll, no handbill, placard, poster, drawing, notice, photograph, symbol, sign, flag or banner of a candidate can be displayed on or across any public road. The same cannot be displayed in any premises whether public or private either. However candidates may display banners and posters on the vehicle used by the candidate. Posters and banners may be displayed in public or private premises only on the day that an election meeting is to be held in those premises.<\/p>\n

In addition to the fine and one month prison term for violating this law, a specific provision in Section 74(3) says that the fine and prison term or both can be imposed on anyone even ATTEMPTING to commit the offence described in this section. The police are also authorized to use such force as may be reasonably necessary to prevent the violation of this ban and they are expressly given the authority to seize any handbill, placard, poster, notice, drawing, symbol, photograph of a candidate, sign, flag or banner used in such contravention.<\/p>\n

Section 75 \u2013 Restrictions on house to house canvassing<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the day the nominations close until the day after the poll, candidates and the members of their immediate families are prohibited from going house to house canvassing for votes. They are also forbidden from distributing handbills and election propaganda material from house to house.<\/p>\n

What sense can anyone make of these laws which seek to ban candidates from campaigning at an election? An election is all about candidates marketing themselves. Very often, a candidate does not know whether he is going to stand for election until the day nominations close. So it is really after nominations close that the election campaign begins in earnest. This is also exactly the period in which the law seeks to place restrictions on candidates from promoting themselves.<\/p>\n

One small mercy is that the elections law does not seek to prohibit public meetings. Section 70 of the Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 stipulates that public meetings have to stop only 48 hours before the date of the poll. But as we saw earlier, even with regard to these meetings, posters announcing such events can be displayed only at the venue that such meetings are to be held, and that too only on the day of the meeting itself. How can anyone expect to pull crowds for an election meeting if it is not advertised beforehand?<\/p>\n

Even under the first past the post system when the electoral unit was much smaller, the candidates could not have managed without house to house campaigns, putting up of posters, the distribution of handbills the holding of processions and the like. Now when candidates have to cover a whole district, campaigning is absolutely essential to promote the candidate. In neighbouring India, activities such as putting up posters and cut outs, distributing leaflets, holding processions and house to house canvassing between the time of handing in nominations and polling day are not illegal. In India, these election related activities are prohibited only in the 48 hours preceding the closing of the poll.<\/p>\n

But if the Sri Lankan election law is implemented in its present form candidates will have to hand in nominations and stay indoors without even looking out of the window for fear of violating an election law. We often see groups of people dressed in the party colours going house to house canvassing distributing propaganda material. Though canvassing and distributing of propaganda material is illegal the reason why it is happening is because an understanding has been reached between the elections commissioner and the political parties to allow these activities without which no one can campaign at an election. In other words we can hold an election only by willfully violating the elections law! This is not a situation that should continue. Hopefully what Mahinda Deshapriya did this time will motivate members of the next parliament to amend the elections law in a manner that allows politicians to conduct a campaign after handing in nominations.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:Sunday Island<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by C.A.Chandraprema As the parliamentary election campaign enters its last week realisation appears to have dawned on the UNP that every vote cast for the JVP is a yahapalana vote lost to them. Last Thursday, the pro-UNP website Lanka e News carried an article with the title “Vote for the JVP and ensure Rajapaksa\u2019s victory!” …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Every Vote the JVP gets will help Mahinda Rajapaksa Increase his Majority over the UNP in Districts he lost in Jan 8 2015’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42543"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42543"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42544,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42543\/revisions\/42544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}