Local polls, power and peace

NOW that the date of the local government election has been announced, it is only to be expected that polls campaigning by our major political parties at least would begin in earnest.

While the public would be looking forward to a cleanly fought election by these parties, not all sections of opinion are likely to welcome the prospect of having another election - a "mini-poll" though it may be.

With major elections following each other in quick but wearying succession over the past few years, a degree of voter exhaustion and apathy should only be expected. This tendency in voter behaviour is, however, most unfortunate.

For, it may be argued that a local government poll, being symptomatic of grassroots democracy, is as important as a country's Presidential and Parliamentary election, although the issues dominating these different sets of elections tend to be somewhat different in nature.

If looked at closely it could be seen that it is a local government poll which could articulate the interests of the people more concretely than, for instance, a legislative election.

For, grassroots issues should be expected to actuate a local government election campaign more substantially than any other polls category given the fact that local government bodies are closer, physically and emotionally to the people, than national legislative organs.

Accordingly, we believe it would be in order for the State as well as our principal political parties to awaken voter interest in the local government election while throwing themselves headily into the election campaign.

The people should be made to see the vital importance of local government institutions in meeting public aspirations. The grassroots democratic process must be kept vibrantly alive.

Meanwhile, heartening news greets us from the North-East, in this context. As disclosed in this newspaper yesterday, a number of Tamil political parties would be in the fray in these regions, with the SLFP deciding to contest on its own in some areas. From the point of view of the country's democratic health, these are encouraging symptoms.

Given that the "gun culture" has to be wittled down in the North-East and the ballot brought to the centre of the region's politics, it is most appropriate and encouraging that some principal Tamil political groups, such as the TNA, the EPDP and PLOTE, would be in the hustings.

It will be recollected that the stifling of the democratic process in the North-East played a role in plunging the region into a bloody armed insurgency.

Hopefully, the balloting process would give to the people what is most central in their lives and render completely superfluous bombs and bullets which have only taken the country through the hell-fires of ethnic strife.

It may be also recollected that vibrant local governance prevailed in times past in the North-East, before LTTE-terror stilled the voice of the people and brought local government bodies to their knees.

If the Tigers are in earnest about reviving the ceasefire and resurrecting the peace effort, they would hold their fire and allow North-East local government institutions to take root in the lives of the people. This is on account of the fact that there would be no durable peace without democratic rights.