Mini Poll: Is It New Era to the East?

"The Eastern election is touted by the government as a progressive step allowing the locals to choose their preferred candidate by ballot rather than the bullet. It is said to be an effort to restore democracy in the region which was recaptured from the LTTE by the armed forces last year."
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by Thava Sajitharan

(March 09, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka Guardian) The much hyped mini poll to elect 9 local government bodies in the Batticaloa district are to be held tomorrow (March 10). Batticaloa district Assistant Election Commissioner T. Krishnananthalingam said all arrangements were in place for the elections and expressed hope that the elections would be peaceful.

But others differ hugely and say the election is a farce due to ‘’military oppression’’ and paramilitary groups. Six political parties including Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), National Congress (NC), National Development Front (NDF) and Eelavar Democratic Front are in the fray. The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) have aligned themselves together and are contesting the elections as an independent group.

Elected representatives

The Batticaloa district consists of 12 local government bodies. Elections were held in May 2006 for the Kathankudi urban council and Oddamavadi and Eravur regional councils (Pradheshiya Sabhas). Those local government bodies in the district are being administered by the elected representatives.

The March 10 polls will elect the representatives for the remaining 9 local government bodies which include Batticaloa Municipal Council and Manmunaippatru, Manmunai Southern Eruvil Pattru, Porathivuppattru, Manmunai southwest, Koralaippattru, Koralaippattru North, Eravurppattru and Valaichenai predhesya sabhas.

Elections had not been held for these 9 bodies since 1994. The tenure of those elected in the 1994 elections ended in 1998. Thus people living in the region have been offered the opportunity to decide on their local representatives through democratic means after 14 years.

Nominations were filed between January 18 and January 25. Eight hundred and one candidates are vying for 101 seats in the local bodies.

There are 333, 950 registered voters in the Batticaloa district. Among them 270, 471 voters corresponding to the 9 local bodies have qualified to exercise their franchise this time around.

Notably, polling centers are to be set up in Paduvankarai, an area controlled by the LTTE for a long period of time, after 19 years.

Even though there had been several elections held in Batticaloa in the last two decades, people of Paduvankarai had to travel a long distance to reach the government held areas where cluster polling centers were set up for voting.

Altogether, 285 polling centers are to be set up for tomorrow’s mini polls. Six special polling centers have been set up in Valachenai and another 3 in Senkaladi to facilitate voting for displaced people.

Progressive step

The Eastern election is touted by the government as a progressive step allowing the locals to choose their preferred candidate by ballot rather than the bullet. It is said to be an effort to restore democracy in the region which was recaptured from the LTTE by the armed forces last year.

However, criticism continued ever since the government announced the date for the elections. The Tamil National Alliance which polled the most number of votes in the last general elections in East and the United National Party, the main opposition, opted not to contest the elections saying “a free and fair election is not possible in the region at this time.”

In mid January, the Supreme Court rejected the fundamental rights plea before it by Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK) to postpone the election on the grounds that the conditions were not conducive to a free and fair election —- and therefore that it violated the rights to franchise.

\The Supreme Court held that it could not interfere with the democratic process of elections but would assist with the security concerns of ITAK. Many political analysts and think tanks that had visited Batticaloa to observe the ground situation opined that conditions were volatile and not conducive for fairplay.

TNA parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah, speaking at the debate in Parliament on extension of State of Emergency on Wednesday called on the people not give into pressure with regard to the Eastern mini polls. Mr. Senathirajah accused the government of harboring a fond wish of winning the Batticalo polls by hook or by crook, aligning with armed groups because the TNA which had the public support in the region is not contesting the elections.

He said the elections are being held under a cloak of military suppression.

SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem was reported to have said in one of the election rallies in the Batticaloa district that all the important parties contesting the mini polls except his own were associated with the government in some way.

Therefore, he said, “people should unite and ensure the victory of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress”. The Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections will be monitoring the polls.

- Sri Lanka Guardian