Ever since the days of the October 26 constitutional coup last year the constant refrain of the pohottuwites and the SLFP faction that left the Yahapalanaya Government had been for the holding of a General Election. Of these elements Prof. G.L. Peiris has been more vocal than any other advocate for a General Election, in the Opposition camp. So much so it has become an obsession with the former law professor. He has warmed to his pet subject yet again.
Addressing a media conference on Monday, Peiris said the Sri Lanka Podu Peramuna was prepared to offer their numbers in Parliament to obtain the required two thirds majority for a resolution calling for a General Election. The former Minister is so enamoured by the idea of going for a general election that he even paid scant regard to the annual budget that is to be presented next month. Peiris opined that although the Government was preparing to present the annual budget soon, the need of the hour was a General Election as if this should be the be all and end all. He said since the Presidential election has to be held on the December 7 at the latest, and that this date is not many months away the intervening period will be a wasteful one since nothing beneficial could be done for the people. Hence a Parliamentary election is the solution, in Peiris's book.
It is difficult to fathom how a General Election will be beneficial to the people in the intervening period before a Presidential Election in December which is nine months away. Is Peiris having some manthra by which he is going to shower benefits to the people within nine months? Correction. It will be much less than nine months, assuming elections are declared and the pohottuwa wins. To begin with, there can be no question of holding a General Election in the midst of a budget that will be presented in March. The budget debate would consume the best part of one month right into April. Assuming that the resolution is passed soon after the Budget debate, for the dissolution of Parliament, the Elections Commission will need at least two months to prepare for a General Election that can be tentatively slated for June.
Not only that, since the Presidential Election has to be held on December 7 according to Peiris himself, nominations will have to be called in early October. In the event of a victory for the SLPP at the General Election in June, how pray will the people benefit during the four month intervening period running into October, only Peiris will be able to explain.
For, since October until the Presidential election in December all development activities will be on hold with Government leaders running helter-skelter electioneering, leaving no time left to devote to the people's welfare. Besides, the people too are going to be preoccupied with the elections to think of any benefits accruing from the Government during this period. In short both the periods covering the run-ups to General Election and the Presidential election are going to see disruption all around and it is moot that the Government's focus will be to provide benefits to the people. It is also difficult to see how a Government can provide benefits to the people in the short period of four months (June-October) which will be the only time there will be government activity in a true sense.
Hence Peiris's call for holding General Elections is not born out of altruism but has more to do with political compulsions. It is not clear what political configurations will be thrown up prior to a General Election. The pohottuwa, no doubt, would be banking on a similar showing as the Local Government election last year. In the same way if the pohottuwa decides to go on its own and achieve a victory or at least come up with a strong showing, this, no doubt, would place it at an advantage when deciding on the Presidential candidate. Hence a General Election for the pohottuwa would be more or less as a testing of the waters.
In any event, General Elections cannot be held just when it catches the fancy of some. This is what the Supreme Court decided in no uncertain terms in its recent ruling. Staccato elections in the intervening periods before the due date can only cause disruption and chaos in the country.
Peiris also speaks of doing away with the 19th Amendment if and when a Government is formed under the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa. This was after waxing eloquent on the merits if 19 A in Parliament during its passage. What has distressed Peiris most is the judicial appointments made by the Constitutional Council set up under 19 A. Of course, this aversion to the 19 A only emerged after the independent judgements given by the Supreme Court, which thwarted attempts by the Rajapaksa clique to return to power and deprive the likes of Peiris positions of state power. In that sense Peiris's persistence in calling for a General Election could be justified.
Add new comment