Democracy rhetoric or a Practice ?

Although exact dates for the presidential election has not yet been declared, it is clear that the enthusiasm and interest over the upcoming presidential run in the country is significantly increasing. The candidates of two major political camps have already been announced; they are the candidate of the SLPP lead alliance and the candidate of the JVP lead alliance. Another interesting fact is that discussions about the UNP candidate is also showing a tendency of growing into an internal crisis of the party.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has already commenced his campaign as the candidate nominated by SLPP and Sajith Premadasa has stated that he will contest the election even though he is not yet offered the official candidature from UNP.

Dr Charitha Herath

@charith9

Leaders of UNP party say that the UNP candidate will be announced only after the presidential election is declared and some say that Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest from their party.  According to some, Karu Jayasuriya's name has also been proposed as the UNP candidate. Whoever are the candidates for the upcoming presidential election, this round of presidential election will have certain unique aspects when compared to the past elections.  This specialty can be explained in relation to many aspects.

On one hand, this is the first presidential election since the 19th Amendment, hence the real impact of reduced powers from the executive body on the position could only be tested after this presidential election. 

Some argue that after the 19th amendment, president even cannot hold the portfolio of defense.  Some legal experts responding to this argument say that the presidential system is valid in the future in the same manner as president is still granted the powers by the constitution to appoint the permanent secretaries to the ministries and many other high-profile positions.   Others feel that the 19th Amendment will not have a serious impact if the Prime Minister and the President are appointed from the same camp. However, it is correct to acknowledge that a change in the portfolio of the executive president could be expected after the presidential election.
Secondly, this presidential election is significant because it allows us to reconsider some of the political issues that have emerged in the country since 2015. The current president won the 2015 presidential election by promising to create a new form of governance under the model of good governance.

Both the President and the Prime Minister formed a government in collaboration with UNP and SLFP naming it as a 'coalition government' saying that it is the means to create good governance in this country. One of the benefits that the voters could get in the upcoming presidential election is that they can follow up and review whether the President and the Prime Minister have fulfilled their promises of good governance.

On the other hand, this year's presidential election can clarify the factor whether the people of Sri Lanka consider political reforms as reforms centered on tangible and measurable social and economic development which takes place on the ground or merely the political rhetoric centered around intangible concepts like good governance. In my opinion that this presidential election will grant all of us an opportunity to realize whether the voters of this country are still ready to compromise the tangible outcomes of physical development aspects for the fabulously created political myths. 

Thirdly, it is my observation that two main topics on this country's political agenda will be subjected to discussion during this Presidential Election. One of these topics is how to build the economy of this country or what reforms can be introduced in the economic sphere. The other topic to be discussed at this presidential election are about the political reforms that needs to be addressed and how they are to be carried out.

There is no need of an expertise knowledge to understand that the country is in serious trouble in the economic sphere, as all aspects of country’s economy has met with recessions. The argument against the previous government regarding the economic development programs is the benefits were not equally distributed.  

The newspaper advertisements in the daily papers itself is the best evidence to say that development projects introduced by this government is merely limited to exaggerated campaigns. It is worthwhile to investigate how many housing projects could have been completed with expenses of the paper advertisements published by the ministry of Housing Development.

It is clear that many topics in the field of political reform are already under discussion. Although it is a clear fact that the behavior related to democracy is quite questionable in every government some representatives from UNP speak as if UNP is the sole savior of democracy. While it is true that some of the country's major political parties have damaged democracy, it is a fact that the UNP has the worst history.

Their history goes back to the period commencing from 1977, when the 1980 labour strikes were suppressed. Thugs who were taken from Colombo to poll in Jaffna during the 1982 Development Council elections filled with ballot boxes forcefully.

Some of the TNA members now seems to have forgotten the fact that those underworld envoys returned to Colombo after setting fire to the Jaffna Library. Not only did the presidential election was held while abolishing the Opposition Leader's civic rights, but also those who were politically against them, were jailed under Naxalite charges.

It was the then Commissioner of Elections who called the 1982 referendum as the most corrupted election of the history.

Mr. Kobbekaduwa, who went to vote for the referendum, had to come back because his vote was already casted by a thug.

The 1989 presidential election was held under the patronage of underworld figures like “Sotti Upali'. Sixty thousand young people were burned down on the roads during the 1989 JVP resurrection under their so called democracy. The SLFP led alliances, which have been in power since 1994, have allegations leveled against them with regard to violating democracy but the level of their corruption is far behind that of UNP.  The 1996 North Western Provincial Council election itself was full of corruption and violations of democratic norms.  dead end of serious corruption. Some areas of the struggle against terrorism in the North since 2005 have been identified by different parties as questionable areas with regard to the existence of democracy.  Terrorism itself is the enemy of democracy and certain activities carried out within the attempt of defeating terrorism has been interpreted as political mistakes.   

However, in my understanding UNP is the political movement that has violated the democratic norms in broad daylight. is tied to democracy in this country's politics.

In that sense, from the standpoint of history, I believe that there is not a single possibility of identifying any of the main political camps in this country as purely aligned with democratic values.

It is my understanding that this presidential election battle is based on who is the strongest reformer and not on the fact who is the best ‘talker’.